Redemption
by JasonHRAC
Summary: In a dark and gritty imagining of 21XX, former Repliforce officer Delta has been given a chance at redemption as a Maverick Hunter. However, things are not as they seem, and a Maverick threat puts the entire world at risk. Abandoned.
1. Justice

Redemption

Chapter 1: Justice

Delta is my own original character, and he belongs to me. All other characters belong to Capcom.

The room was pitch-black. There was no source of light whatsoever, not that he really cared. The reploid named Delta sat on a chair against the wall. The room was more like a holding cell. There wasn't much space at all to walk. He crossed his arms, and looked down. It was so dark he couldn't even see himself. He sighed, shaking his head. Delta thought back to 5 days ago. He thought of Repliforce, and what he did to get arrested. Well, actually, he didn't do anything. Just being a soldier of Repliforce automatically meant that you were a Maverick. The term Maverick means "a Reploid who has harmed a human," for the most part. For the Maverick Hunters, most of them thought of a Maverick as nothing more than a mindless, idiotic, drone. Oh, well. At least he wasn't killed. After Repliforce was wiped out, there was still just one soldier left. And that just so happened to be Delta. But the Maverick Hunters were merciful enough to just arrest him. The commander of the 17th Unit, Mega Man X, found Delta. X was known not just for his great power, but also for his hesitance in battle. He could never kill anything in cold blood. So he decided to just arrest Delta.

The reploid closed his eyes. Not that it made any difference, considering he was trapped in a chamber of utter darkness. Strangely enough, the darkness and silence that many beings feared and loathed gave Delta some comfort. He had a headache anyway, so hearing yelling and typing wasn't going to improve his mood. According to the chatter around the Maverick Hunter HQ, General was actually being manipulated by someone named Sigma. Then he heard that General was killed. However, Delta hadn't heard about the fate of Colonel and Iris. Delta sighed again. He was good friends with the girl and her brother. Colonel had trained Delta personally on using a beam saber, which would later become his favorite weapon. But the reploid knew that he always needed a backup weapon, so he was always also equipped with a Buster Shot pistol. According to what he heard, most of the Maverick Hunters had their busters built into their arms.

Then, the cell door suddenly opened. Light stung Delta's eyes, but he saw a red reploid. He was holding a data pad in his hand. He looked at it, then at the soldier.

"Repliforce Officer Delta?"

"The hell do you want?"

"I want to help you. My name is-" The reploid was cut off by Delta's words.

"You're Zero, the commander of the Special 0 Unit of the Maverick Hunters. Your best friend is Commander X of the 17th Elite Unit. Please, by now, I thought you'd know that everyone knows who you are."

The red-clad robot raised an eyebrow, before leaning against a wall. He rolled his eyes, looking at his data pad once more. He read it for a while, before glaring at the soldier in front of him. His blue eyes were as cold as the brown eyes glaring back at him.

"According to your reports, you didn't partake in any of the Repliforce battles. We're going to say that because you didn't participate in the battles, you won't be retired. Believe me, it sounds better than being found and arrested by a commander who doesn't have the heart to kill anyone in cold blood. But I'm warning you. Just because you're a prisoner doesn't mean you should expect any warm feelings. If you try to escape, you'll-"

"Yeah, yeah. If I try to escape, you're going to kill me. And some other threats. I get it already."

"Hmph." Zero rolled his eyes again.

"What I want to know is...where the hell is Colonel? And his sister, Iris?" Despite being acquaintances with the two reploids, Delta didn't know they were dead as well. He only knew about General's death.

Zero started to visibly shake. He tried to hide it as best as he could. He stood up straight, clearing his throat. He blinked, before sighing. Hesitantly, he whispered something that Delta could barely hear.

"They're dead..."

"...You...you killed them, didn't you?" Delta was shocked. Iris was actually working for the Maverick Hunters, while Colonel was far too skilled to be taken down in a trivial battle. Only someone as skilled as Zero would be able to defeat Colonel. And well, Iris probably didn't approve of that...

"Shut up, scum! Just shut the fuck up!" Zero gritted his teeth, his hands reaching for his saber.

"You killed them in cold blood! You murdered Colonel and Iris, didn't you?" Delta stood up, fists clenched, pointing an accusing finger at the red-clad Maverick Hunter.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Zero yelled, as he pulled out his saber. Before Delta could possibly react, Zero slashed at the reploid's left eye, and a scar ran across his eye. Delta screamed in pain, getting down to his knees. He held his eye, but he couldn't keep the blood dripping from his eye socket in. He fell to the ground, shouting in pain.

Zero was about to kick Delta's stomach, but he was held back by two security officers, who pulled him out of the room. Delta couldn't see anything at the moment. But he heard the door shut itself shut. He cried in agony for a bit more, before there was absolute silence. It was so silent in the holding cell that Delta swore he heard someone sneeze in the other room.

The soldier had never felt so much pain in his life. But then again, he never felt much pain in his life to begin with. The yells turned into groans, eventually. Even after what felt like 10 minutes, the wound hurt like hell. After all, his left eye was sliced. Eventually, the door slid open again, and he felt someone picking him up from the ground. He couldn't exactly tell who it was, but before passing out, Delta felt himself being laid onto a stretcher, and was hurried to a room. Then he blacked out, giving into the pain he felt for what felt like forever.

Brown hair as black as dark chocolate flew in the wind. The reploid's hair was so dark that usually, at first glance, everyone would think his hair was black, but if they took a closer look at him, they'd realize it's actually an extremely dark shade of brown. The reploid barely took care of his hair. Parts of it slightly stood up. His eyes were the same color as his hair. His armor was colored gold, with black lines running across it. The skintight suit underneath his armor was gray. And just like every other reploid, his hands were ghost-white. He had a belt, which held his Buster Shot pistol, and his beam saber. He was walking across Abel City, trying to keep a low profile. He had a Repliforce insignia on his left shoulder guard, which is similarly shaped to X's shoulder guard. He seemed to be alone. But when he heard footsteps that weren't his own, he stopped dead in his tracks and looked back, seeing a blue robot. His green eyes glared at him, but the reploid turned, and started to run.

He heard the robot, who just so happened to be Commander X, call him.

"Stop! Stop where you are, right now!"

But the reploid didn't stop. He kept running. He turned to his right, and was trapped in a dead end. As he turned, he saw the robot corner him, and then, everything was suddenly black. Until Delta opened his eyes.

He gasped for a second, then looked around. He seemed to be in a medical room. He felt a jolt of pain in his left eye, and he was about to hold it before he remembered everything. He had just woken up from a dream. And his eye had been treated. Painfully, he slowly got up, exploring the room he seemed to be trapped in. He saw a restroom, and entered it. He looked at the mirror, staring at himself. His dark brown hair always somehow managed to look exactly the same, no matter what. Except when it got wet, of course. His golden armor was still intact. Strangely enough though, he realized that the Repliforce insignia on his shoulder guard was gone. He then looked at his face, and saw that his left eye was replaced. His left eye seemed...paler, than his right eye. He then heard a door open behind him, and as he looked back, he saw the same robot as he did in his dreams. Mega Man X.

X raised an eyebrow, before slightly tilting his head. Finally, he spoke.

"Good, you're awake. Why don't you come back here and take a seat?"

Reluctantly, Delta walked back to his bed, sitting on it. X took a nearby chair, sitting in it. He seemed to be holding the same data pad that Zero was holding earlier.

"You'll have to forgive Zero. He still hasn't gotten over Iris and Colonel..."

"I can tell." Delta rolled his eyes, before he saw X glaring at him. "So, anyway, what do you want with me?"

"Delta, do you believe in morality?"

"Not if my enemies use it to distract me before before I get a chance to kill them. Pretty words don't easily change my mind."

"I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, as morals go, people deserve a second chance. A chance at redemption. Delta, if you don't want to spend the rest of your life trapped in a holding cell, you'd want to listen and listen good."

"I'm listening good. Unless you're speaking really soft."

"This isn't a joke, Delta!"

Delta held back a smirk, and the urge to roll his eyes. He only blinked as he focused on X. But all jokes aside, Delta guessed that he probably had to listen to what the Maverick Hunter was trying to do. Whatever it was, Delta hoped it was worth his time.

"Alright, whatever. Why are you here, anyway?"

"I'm here to give you a chance at redemption. To fully redeem yourself, you must first join us. As a Maverick Hunter."

"That explains why the Repliforce insignia is gone..."

"Yes. If you accept, we'll give you a card that contains the code to your own room. And we'll give you some combat training."

"But I've already been trained by Repliforce."

"But we aren't Repliforce. Just please, accept the offer, Delta. For your own sake. Besides, it never hurt to get to know some of the other Hunters."

Delta took a deep breath, looking into the innocent eyes of Commander X. The choice wasn't too hard. Be trained as a Maverick Hunter, while being given a chance to restart, and forget the dark past he once had. Or stay with it, along with being trapped inside the hell of a holding cell for the rest of his life, or eternity, considering reploids don't have lifespans. Eventually, Delta nodded.

"Alright. I'll do it..."

X gave a reassuring smile, before patting Delta on the shoulder. "Good."

X pulled out a card and handed it to the gold-clad reploid. "Your code card. As you can see on the card, it's Room 105 on Floor 5. The code to your room is on the card. Just enter the code on the console-"

"Yeah, I get it. Thanks...Commander X..."

"Just call me X..."


	2. Training Starts

Redemption

Chapter 2: Training Starts

**Delta, Killian and Fifteen are my own creations. My friend, Jack, came up with the personalities and characteristics of Kayla, Echo, and Solara.**

**Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

The room reminded Delta of a hotel. It seemed that if Delta was assigned a different room, that room would look exactly like his current room. There was a window, and a chair in front of it. There was also a bed on the left side of the room, but other than all that, the room was really plain. Though there was another door leading to the restroom, Delta didn't notice it at the moment. As Delta entered it, he found himself standing right next to the bed. He laid down on it, staring at the bland, green ceiling. Delta sighed, looking out the window. It was late night. Shrugging, Delta decided to fall asleep, and closed his eyes.

The gold-clad reploid woke up to the sound of someone knocking on his door. Delta slowly got up, yawning. He kicked the door, which automatically slid open, revealing X. He looked as if he slept immediately after he offered Delta the chance, and woke up at about 2:00 in the morning. According to his systems, it was 7:12 right now. What a random time to wake up, Delta thought. X didn't look tired at all, which came as a surprise to Delta.

"Delta, it's time to start your training."

Delta yawned again. "Already? Can't I have another hour of sleep?"

X glared at him silently, before Delta sighed. "Alright, lead the way, commander."

The blue-clad robot turned around, walking towards the elevator. Delta followed. As they entered the elevator, he clicked on a button with a "2" marked on it. As they reached their destination, X led Delta into a room marked "Training Room" on it. As they entered, Delta saw 4 people in there. X turned to face the gold-clad reploid, glaring intensely at him.

"Due to your extensive history of combat and experience on the field, Commander Signas has decided to place you in the Special 0 Unit."

"Doesn't Zero just so happen to be commander of that unit?"

X nodded. Delta sighed. He wasn't sure he was out of breath, or if it was from disappointment. Probably the latter.

"If you'll excuse me, Delta, I've got some work to do. Training will begin in 10 minutes. You can use that time to get to know your fellow Hunters." X then left the room, and Delta decided to try to make friends. He walked over to the nearest person; a girl with long, blonde hair. Similar to Zero. Except the fact that she had brown eyes like Delta does. She also had white armor with blue streaks running across it. She didn't have a helmet, just like Delta. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. As Delta approached her, he cleared his throat.

"Err...hello."

The girl turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Hi."

"I'm Delta."

"Oh, so you're Delta, huh? The former member of Repliforce?"

Delta nodded. "That's me."

She extended a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Delta. I'm Fifteen."

Delta shook her hand, before asking a random question. "Are you...like, a sister of Zero or something?"

The girl named Fifteen rolled her eyes in a flash of annoyance. "Everyone always asks me that. But strangely, even though both of us have long hair and our names are numbers, no, we are in no way related."

"That's odd..."

"You're telling me. Anyway, nice to meet you, Delta."

"Same." Delta then turned to the next nearest person; a man with silver armor with dark red shoulder guards and legs. His helmet was a pale, and his energy crystal was in the shape of a small, green triangle. He also had a visor on, as well as a thin beard. Reploids, since they had to be as human as possible, of course had synthetic skin over their exoskeletons. However, recently, all reploids had an update patch uploaded into them, so that some could grow facial hair. It was seriously unnecessary, and completely unneeded, but it made some reploids appear more human, so whatever. He had his arms crossed, and was looking away.

As Delta approached him, he called out to him. "Hey, you! Visor dude!"

The reploid turned to Delta, and pressed on the right side of his helmet, which made the visor disappear, revealing a left eye that was green, and a right eye that gleamed golden, which slightly creeped Delta out. He had a menacing expression.

"Who are you? And what the hell do you want?"

"Well, dickhead, my name's Delta, and I'm the new member of your unit."

"Great, another asshole. I really needed another one of those. I'm Killian, and you should do your best not to get on my bad side."

"You're saying that like you're actually nice."

"Go fuck yourself."

"No thanks. I'll pass..."

Delta walked past him, and he smirked as he sensed Killian trying to resist the urge to punch him from behind. He was about to approach the next person, before a familiar voice say his name. Delta turned around, and smiled as he saw his old friend, Echo, run towards him. He stopped in front of him, and saw him smile. Echo had black armor, with green lines running across his entire body. Though like many others, he had no helmet. He did have a navi headset. It reached from his ear to his mouth, and it let him communicate with others. Like Delta, he had dark brown hair, but it was nowhere as dark as Delta's hair. Echo's hair was spiked up in the front, but in the back, it seemed flat.

"Well, well, well. Maverick Hunter Echo. You're in the Special 0 Unit, too?"

"Yeah. Wait, I thought you were with Repliforce?"

"Well, it's a long story. See, I got arrested, but X decided to give me a second chance and decided to train me as a Maverick Hunter."

"So, out of the frying pan, and into the fire?"

"It doesn't seem so bad right now. Except for that dickhead Killian."

"Yeah, he has more enemies than friends."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"Yep. Tell me about it."

Delta crossed his arms, a warm smile on his face. "Good to see you again, dude."

"W-Wait! I want to introduce you to a friend of mine!"

Before Delta could react, he felt Echo's arm around the back of his neck, forcing him to walk with him. Echo led Delta to a girl with a small, chocolate-brown ponytail coming out of the back of her helmet. She also had silver armor, but the unarmored parts were gray, and three diagonal, purple lines ran across her chest. Her helmet was similar to X's helmet. In fact, their energy crystals were the exact same shape and color. The only difference that instead of being blue and sky blue like X's helmet, the girl's helmet was gray and purple. Her eyes gleamed blue.

As Echo and Delta approached her, she smiled as she looked at Echo. "Hey, there."

"Hey, Solara. I want you to meet Delta! Delta, this is Solara!"

"Yeah, I think I realized that the first time you said her name."

Echo jokingly smacked Delta on the back of his head. Delta replied with a small and slightly surprised groan. Solara smiled sweetly at him.

"Pleased to meet you, Delta." She extended a hand, which Delta shook. He nodded, before turning to Echo.

"Could you please let me go now?"

"Oh, sure." Echo withdrew his arm from the back of Delta's neck. As if on que, X re-entered the room, and loudly cleared his mechanical throat, getting everyone's attention. Everyone turned to him, completely silent. X raised an eyebrow, his expression completely neutral.

"Alright. I'm assuming I gave Delta enough time to meet everyone."

Delta nodded, and X slightly smiled. "Good. Okay, anyway, we're going to start today's training session with team practice. To pass this session, you must not only last until the time limit, but protect your teammates. You know what they say. There's no "I" in teamwork. The danger level is Level 5. Good luck."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a reinforced see-through barrier sealed the team in. X stood just outside of it, holding some sort of pad in his hands. He pressed on it, and suddenly, the ceiling opened up, and combat drones dropped from it. They had plain-white armor, with a small green dot on their faces. Delta assumed they were supposed to be the eye. Their appearance looked like they were exoskeletons. Their arms were even the exact same. Some held beam sabers, others were equipped with their busters, and others just held buster rifles. They activated the exact moment X uttered one word. "Go."

Instantly, the arena went into total chaos. Delta and Killian drew their sabers. Solara armed her buster arm. Echo activated wrist blades. Personally, he called them the Recoil Rods. Fifteen pulled out a Buster Shot pistol, even though Delta clearly saw a saber on her back.

Delta dashed towards a drone, instantly slicing it's head off before the drone could open fire. He heard rapid footsteps behind him, and as he turned around, he instantly brought his saber up, blocking a drone's saber at the very last moment. They locked their sabers, and Delta tried to slowly lower his saber to cut the drone's fingers, but it managed to knock him back. It prepared for a vertical slice, which Delta dodged by stepping to the side. The instant the drone's saber hit the ground, Delta swiped the drone's head off. He didn't realize that another drone with a saber was running towards him until it was too late. Except Delta didn't get hit. At the last second, the drone's head was blasted off. Delta turned around, seeing it's body fall against his leg. He turned to the side, smiled.

"Thanks, Fifteen."

"Anytime." She said this as a drone behind her tried to surprise her, but Fifteen, without even looking back, pointed her pistol at the drone's face, and pulled the trigger. She looked around, and Killian was surrounded by three drones. He was holding them off pretty well, but eventually, he'd get hit. Fifteen aimed her buster shot at one of the drones' head, charged the shot, and pulled the trigger. As much as she disliked Killian, he was still a member of the team. The plasma shot not only hit one of the drones' head, but went through it, and hit another drone in the head.

As Killian stabbed the last drone, he didn't even acknowledge Fifteen. He was always too proud to say thanks or apologize about anything. It was in his nature to be an arrogant soldier. He was aware that the drones were killed by Fifteen, but he didn't really care. He knew that the other soldiers could take care of themselves, so he ignored his teammates. However, he decided that it would look better on his report if he actually helped, so he activated his buster arm, and shot a fully-charged shot at a drone who was running towards Solara. X may have noticed that Killian helped Solara, but she didn't notice.

What she DID notice though, was the fact that her buster was probably the strongest of the entire team, not to mention that in terms of running speed and reflexes, she was probably the fastest. She dashed towards a wall, jumped on it, and leaped off of it, shooting several drones that were below her. She did a back-flip in mid-air, and landed on her feet. She landed in front of a drone, and immediately slammed her buster into it's face, temporarily stunning it. She took this quick opportunity to shoot it in the face. The head of the drone flew off and knocked into the head of another drone who was fighting Echo.

Echo used the distraction provided by Solara to slice the drone's head off. Silently, he thanked Solara. He found himself cornered by two drones. One behind him, and one in front of him. The instant they pulled the trigger on their rifles, Echo jumped in the air, somersaulting in the air and landing behind the drone that was previously behind him. Their plasma shots hit each other, and both died. He suddenly found himself behind Delta, who was fighting off several drones. 4 drones, armed with sabers, ran towards Delta, ignoring Echo. Echo proceeded to stab one in the face, and he stuck out his right arm, and the 2nd drone ran into the Recoil Rod blade, it's head flying off. Oil mildly spilled out, but Echo didn't care. He then brought up his left arm, his blade blocking another drone's saber. With his other blade, he stabbed the drone in the face. As he turned to Delta's direction, he was too late to reach it. However, hearing the footsteps, Delta swung his saber behind him, slicing the drone's body in half.

The barrier was suddenly gone, and the bodies of the drones suddenly disappeared. Delta sighed, slightly tired as he deactivated his beam saber. Killian did the same, crossing his arms. Solara only blinked. Echo was panting, a bit more tired than Delta. Fifteen took a deep breath, leaning against the wall again. X stared at his data pad, pressing several buttons, while also muttering to himself and the soldiers. He looked at the soldiers' ranks, and thought pensively about their performance.

"Delta...Rank SA...good job." As X said that, Delta raised an eyebrow.

"Fifteen, Rank GA. Nice work." The girl only briefly rolled her eyes at the compliment.

"Echo. Rank S, excellent." Echo put his hands behind his back, shrugging slightly.

"Solara, consider yourself promoted to Rank S. Nice combat work, and you managed to provide a distraction for Echo to take advantage." Solara smiled widely, putting her hands behind her back.

"Killian...Rank SA. Exceptional work..."

Killian resisted the urge to roll his eyes, his arms still crossed. X didn't realize the scowl that Killian was giving him. "Alright, you're all free to go. I doubt there will be any missions today, but don't get your hopes up."

As X left, Solara jumped in excitement. She hugged Echo for almost no reason. Echo gently pushed her away awkwardly, and walked towards Delta.

"So, what do you wanna do now?"

Delta only shrugged. Solarium's eyes widened. "Ooh, I know!" Everyone instantly turned to Solara.

"How about tonight, we all get together in Delta's room and we can get to know each other!"

Though Delta didn't know this, the hunters in the Special 0 Unit barely knew each other. They barely had enough time for small talk. Solara usually popped ideas when she was extremely happy and/or excited. Solara was clearly the most optimistic and possibly the most naïve of the entire unit. She seemed to be the opposite of Killian, who was always grumpy and pessimistic. Echo tried to be as optimistic as possible, while Fifteen always was neutral, and looked at the facts. Delta usually did the same.

"I-" Delta began, but before he could say anything, the other hunters agreed.

"Sure, why not?" Echo responded.

Fifteen shrugged. "Alright, fine."

Killian rolled his eyes again. "It's not like I got anything better to do."

Solara tried to hold back a delighted squeal. "Great! Oh, I'll even invite Kayla!"

"Who?" Delta raised an eyebrow, confused.

Fifteen responded, saying; "Kayla's a human mechanic. She operates ride armors, speed chasers, and a bunch of other things. She's good friends with Solara."

Delta rolled his eyes, sighing. He continued with a sarcastic phrase. "Great. We're going to have a blast.."

So...yeah! That's Chapter 2! Congratulations if you read it. Please review. Kthxbai.


	3. The First Day of the Rest of His Life

Redemption

Chapter 3: The First Day of the Rest of His Life

**Delta, Fifteen, and Killian are my own characters. My friend, Jack, helped create Echo, Kayla, and Solara.**

**Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

The day passed by lazily, if slowly wasn't a good word to describe it. Delta used his time to meet the other members of the Maverick Hunters. He met a navigator who had just recently joined named Alia, a Lifesaver medic, and Douglas, a reploid who seems to produce parts that can aid a hunter during a mission. Alia was nice enough, Lifesaver seemed ignorant, and Douglas was hilarious, in Delta's book.

He also explored Abel City. He just felt like walking by himself. Thinking to himself. Delta was a solitary character. Though he doesn't mind company, he spends most of his time alone. Delta walked across the streets, and the Central Highway. As Delta returned to the HQ, he walked back into his room. It was evening. Delta shrugged to himself, staring at the window as he sat down on the chair.

As he stared out the window, he couldn't help but slightly smile to himself. He enjoyed the view. The look of reploids and humans walking, talking, laughing, smiling. Delta sighed to himself, pressing his forehead against the glass window. He blinked when he heard knocking at his door. Delta stood up, and walked over to the door. As he opened it, he was met by Fifteen, Solara, Echo, Kayla, and Killian, though Delta tried his best not to slam the electronic door shut on him.

Kayla wore a tube top, some blue jeans, and black shoes. She had brown hair, and was nice. Heck, nice was an overused term used by Delta. It seemed everyone he met was nice, with the exception of Lifesaver, Killian, and Zero. As everyone entered, Delta shut the door, and blinked. Everyone sat in a circle. Delta shrugged, sitting in the empty spot of the circle, next to Fifteen and Echo.

"..." The circle was silent. It was really awkward, but eventually, Delta hesitantly broke the silence.

"Err...welcome?"

"Okay, I guess I have to start. Anyway, as you know, I'm Solara. I was a reploid originally designed for medical treatment, but I had a buster designed inside me for self-defense, just in case. On the day that the Doppler Incident started, the Mavericks attacked the Maverick Hunter HQ, and I fought off the Mavericks so well that Commander Zero decided to make me a soldier."

"That's brilliant..." Killian muttered coldly. "...But honestly, I don't give a shit."

"You do realize you actually wanted to come over, right?" Delta glared at Killian.

"Yeah, only because I got nothing better to do. This is a lot more boring than I thought."

Fifteen scoffed. "Yeah, like you have a more interesting story to tell us."

"Oh, you wanna bet?"

"Sure, why not?" Fifteen smirked, crossing her arms. Delta raised an eyebrow, and suddenly, everyone stared at Killian, who only chuckled coldly. "Alright, I'll tell you my story, dipshits."

"My creator built me for the sole purpose of being the ultimate reploid. He wanted me to be the strongest reploid of them all."

"Hasn't every creator tried that yet?" Delta interrupted.

"Shut it. Anyway, when I joined the Maverick Hunters, I was originally assigned to the 17th Elite Unit. Though Commander X didn't approve of my conduct towards others, Commander Zero decided to place me in the Special 0 Unit because my power was so high."

Delta actually yawned. "Sorry, what? Something about you being an asshole?"

Killian growled at him. Delta tried to hold back a smirk. "Maybe you could get X's respect if you weren't such an idiot."

"Oh you want to go, tough guy-"

"Alright, alright. Break it up, everyone." Kayla said, interrupting Killian before he could threaten Delta.

"Anyway, I guess I'm next. My full name is Kayla Tucker. I was hired by Signas to be a mechanic for the Ride Armors and so on. My skill as a mechanic also led me to handle system repairs, and sometimes, I even help out Douglas make the parts. The pay's pretty good."

Delta swore for a brief split-second that he saw Echo blush, but then, Delta just shrugged it off. Maybe he was seeing things. After all, it was late night. Killian groaned.

"You know what? I forgot to do some paperwork for Zero, and this is getting boring. See you later, maybe."

As Killian left, Delta raised an eyebrow. "Is he always like this?"

Fifteen nodded. "Yep."

"He reminds me of this robot I learned from history class back in school named Bass. They're both selfish, arrogant, and just plain weird. Not to mention they both think extremely high of themselves." Kayla randomly remarked.

Delta nodded. "Good to know. So, what about you, Echo? Anything I don't already know about you?"

Echo only shook his head. "Nope. I'm just another Maverick Hunter. I fight to live, and I live to fight."

"Impressive quote. One thing, though. You stole that from me!"

"Oops!"

Delta turned to Fifteen, who only mildly smiled warmly. "So, what about you, Fifteen? Anything interesting about you?"

Fifteen shook her head. "No. I don't know who created me. The first thing I knew, I was awaken by Hunters when they found me sleeping in a capsule. I decided to join them, and here I am."

Delta shrugged. "Well, seems we've run out of interesting stories. I'm not sure if you'd care for mine, but I guess I'll say it anyway. I used to be a soldier of Repliforce before the incident. After every soldier was killed, I was the only one left, and I tried to keep a low profile, but I caught, got arrested, got a second chance, and now, here I am."

Suddenly, the whole room was silent. It hadn't occurred to them what to do after everyone told their story. No one really thought about it. Echo scratched the back of his head. Fifteen cleared her throat. Kayla put her hands behind her back and nodded. Solara sat still.

Suddenly, there was knocking on the door. Reluctantly, Delta stood up, and slid the door open to reveal a tired Killian, who said a cold remark."Alright, asswipes, get to bed."

Delta rolled his eyes. "Who died and made you boss, dickweed?"

Killian scowled. "Shut your damn mouth, bastard."

Delta slid the door shut on him, and he turned back to his friends.

"Well, since we know all that needs to be known about each other, I guess we should just get back to our rooms."

Delta didn't know what it was. He didn't know if it were his tone, or how he said it, but it managed to convince the others to return to their own respective rooms. Once they all left, Delta nearly collapsed on the bed. He groaned, staring at the bland ceiling like an old friend. He closed his eyes. But when he opened them again, it was still late night. In fact, only 20 seconds had passed. Delta knew he never fell asleep that fast, so he closed his eyes again. He tried his best to keep his eyes closed, but he really didn't feel like sleeping. Groaning silently in frustration, Delta set himself to sleep mode, despite the fact how unreliable to him. At least it would give him SOME sleep. Even if it lasted for 40 minutes.

As he woke up, he thought he slept for a good 6 hours. He thought it was about 5 in the morning. After all, the gold-clad reploid heard birds chirping. But as he checked his inner clock, he realized it was only 12:30 in the morning. Frustrated, Delta stood up, going to the restroom, turning on the light. He stared at himself in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot. His hair slightly stood up more than usual. Delta grumbled to himself, before stepping out of his room. Technically, it wasn't against the rules to wander the hallways at late night, or very early morning, but it would be best if they tried to sneak around, as not to accidentally disrupt anyone who was sleeping.

Delta took the elevator to the lobby, where the receptionist didn't seem to notice him. Delta walked outside, and decided to walk briefly. However, when he crossed the street, he noticed a hill on his right. Actually, Delta didn't feel like talking a walk, so he dragged himself to the grassy hill, and stared down. He looked at the grass, the dandelions, the roses, and the orchids. Delta brought his head up, and saw a park. There was a statue of a bearded man. He was so heavily bearded that not a single speck of chin was visible under it. He was in a lab coat, and wore a tie. He seemed very slightly fat. Delta recognized him instantly. The famous scientist, Dr. Thomas Light. The creator of the Robot Masters, and the creator of X, who's design was used to create the entire reploid race. Well, no one was really sure about Zero, but that was off-topic. Wait, what was the topic to start with, anyway? Delta sighed, annoyed with himself. He almost jumped when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Can't sleep either?"

Delta turned around to see Fifteen walking towards him. She sat down next to him, sighing.

"No, can't sleep. It's weird. I never have a neutral night. I either sleep very well. Or I don't sleep at all."

"I barely sleep. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I can't."

"So, do you often come here?"

"Yeah. I enjoy the fresh air, and sometimes, I end up sleeping on the grass right here."

Suddenly, Delta felt Fifteen's head on his shoulder. He put on an uncomfortable look, and he held back a small blush. Fifteen chuckled to herself at his reaction. Delta's eyes widened when he heard a long sniffing sound. Fifteen laughed at his reaction.

"You smell nice."

"I smell like shit."

"Well, whatever it is, I like it."

"Uhh...thank you?"

"You're welcome."

They sat there in silence. For Delta, it was mortifying. For Fifteen, it was very amusing. She hadn't had fun like this in a long time. In fact, she hadn't amused or entertained herself in a long time. Eventually, the female reploid decided to take her head off of her friend's shoulder. Friend. Fifteen never really thought she had any friends before. She despised Killian, she thought Solara was irritating, even though Solara thought they were friends, and she never really talked to Echo or Kayla. It wasn't very often she talked to someone without barking orders at them. Sheepishly, Delta attempted small talk.

"So...how long have you been a Maverick Hunter?"

"4 years, 11 months, 1 week, 5 days. Speaking of that, how'd you get Rank SA on your report? Maverick Hunters always start as a Rank F."

"I guess they looked at my report from Repliforce...even though I was a Rank S back when I was with Repliforce."

"I guess they liked how you fight."

"I fight like complete crap."

"You're so modest. I'd like you better if you showed some self-respect once in a while. You're not all that bad-looking either."

"Flirting at an early friendship?"

"Yep."

"I thought I showed self-respect by not letting Killian push me around."

"Oh, please. Everyone uses Killian as an excuse. Maybe if you admit you fight very well-"

"Me? Nah, Solara fights very well."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you don't fight well either. I'd like to see how good you are with your saber."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty skilled with my saber."

"Well, you ARE Rank GA."

"Yeah. That's actually a pretty big feat to accomplish Rank GA in just 4 years."

They talked together some more, before Delta got too tired, and decided to go back to his room. Delta didn't know what it was, whether he just got too tired, or the talk with Fifteen relaxed him, he fell asleep easier. Delta didn't get up right away. In fact, most of the time, Delta wouldn't actually get out his bed for another 30 minutes. He was naturally lazy like that. Suddenly, he heard Zero's voice on the intercom make an announcement.

"Attention, soldiers of the Special 0 Unit. I need you all to report to the briefing room immediately."

Delta assumed this was going to be his first mission as a Maverick Hunter, and he was right. At the briefing, Zero stated that there was a high leveled Maverick Disturbance at Point Y. You know the drill. Let's move out, people!"

Killian nodded. "Yes, sir!" Delta wasn't as eager as Killian, but then again, first impressions were everything.

Point Y was a chaotic battlefield. Mavericks were everywhere. Even though the Special 0 Unit was the smallest unit, it was also the strongest, so it wasn't much of a problem taking out a bunch of Mavericks. Zero and Echo managed to save 2 hostages, while Solara and Killian took out the most Mavericks, mostly due to the fact that they have ranged weapons. Maverick after Maverick, eventually, they saw a strange Maverick, surrounded by other hostiles. Somehow, the one Maverick stood out from the rest of the others, probably because of his blank, gleaming crimson red eyes. And the fact he was floating in mid-air. In front of a fire, which made it difficult to see what exactly he looked like.

He pointed at the Hunters, viciously yelling an order. "KILL."

The Mavericks obeyed, marching towards the 6 hunters. A barrage of plasma shots assaulted the Hunters. Two shots managed to hit Solara, who fell down in pain. Delta grunted, deflecting the shots with his saber. Echo jumped, spinning his entire body in mid-air to evade the plasma shots. He landed right in front of a Maverick, slicing it's arms off with his blades and kicking it down. Zero dashed towards the supposed leader of the Mavericks, who was still floating, but his body was pushed back by an invisible force. Same thing happened to Echo, who painfully tried to get up. Fifteen was fighting off several Mavericks, but even she couldn't hold them off by herself, given the fact there were over 15 Mavericks at her. Delta ran to help her, but he was knocked down as well. For some reason, Echo and Zero wouldn't get up. Nor would Solara. They weren't unconscious, they were even visibly struggling and groaning. Killian ran towards the mysterious leader, trying to catch him by surprise, but he failed, and he was pushed down as well.

Delta pulled out his buster shot pistol, holstering his saber. He shot at several Mavericks, but one of them managed to sneak up behind Fifteen and smack her in the back of the head with it's rifle, knocking her out. However, right when the gold-clad reploid shot the last Maverick, he was suddenly forced down as well. He tried to get up, but it felt like something as heavy as a truck was holding him down. Suddenly, he saw the leader of the group, who landed on the ground safely. Somehow, the fire went away by itself, revealing the physical features of the leader.

He was tall. Probably about 6 feet 2 inches. His eyes were completely blank, except for the bright, crimson-red glow in his eyes. His entire body was silver. It was shiny, as if a missile couldn't penetrate the thick layer of his armor. He looked muscular, fast, and agile. Of course, all reploids had a higher durability, strength, and speed level than most humans. He seemed to be grinning. But it didn't look like he could change his expression. If he wanted to. Everyone heard him talk, but his mouth didn't move.

"You exist because I let you exist. I am your savior. I am your Messiah. I am...The Reaper. And for your arrogance, I will end you.

Then he teleported away. Then suddenly, everyone was able to get up. Well, except Solara and Fifteen. Blood slowly started to drip out of Solara's wounds. Delta walked over to her, putting his hands under her back, and hoisting her up. Weakly, Solara wrapped her arm around Delta's neck. Zero did something similar, hoisting Fifteen's body over his shoulder. Solara managed to utter a word to Delta.

"Thanks..."

"No problem. We're a team. I'll always help you."

And with that, Solara blushed.


	4. Dreamscape

Redemption

Chapter 4: Dreamscape

**Delta, Fifteen, and Killian are my own creations. My friend helped create Kayla, Solara, and Echo. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

The hunters of the 0 Unit sat in the briefing room. Delta was confused, not knowing what to think of this "Reaper" character. Killian was pissed. He obviously had never failed a mission before, judging on how hard he was taking this. Solara was in the infirmary, but she'd make a full recovery. Fifteen woke up, and Zero told her about The Reaper. Echo was tired, but just as confused as Delta, if not slightly nervous as well.

Zero stood in the center of the room, crossing his arms, frowning. He had just returned from giving an oral report of the mission to Commander Signas. As Zero reentered the room, he looked at his soldiers, nodding. "Alright. You're all free to go. There may be some more missions concerning this Reaper character, but right now, our best Navigators are trying to track his location."

The hunters began to leave the room when Zero was finished, but before Delta got a chance to exit the room, Zero spoke up again. "Wait, Delta. Come with me. I have something to show you."

Delta, raising an eyebrow in confusion, hesitantly dragged himself over to his commander.

"Yes, sir?" He stared at Zero's blue eyes, like the first time they met.

"I have a special task for you, but I need to know that you won't tell anyone about it, except me, and Commander Signas."

Delta nodded. "Alright, I'm game. What do you have for me?"

The red-clad reploid sighed. "We have reason to suspect that one of our Hunters is a traitor. He or she may be leaking classified information to the enemy. In fact, we just recently dispatched a group of rookie hunters to deal with a...special Maverick disturbance. We haven't heard from them ever since. We just sent the 17th Elite Unit to take care of it. Anyway, if you believe anyone you know is a traitor, contact me, and I'll see to it that Signas keeps watch over your supposed culprit."

"Understood, commander."

"Good. You're dismissed."

As Delta left the room, he decided to go to the training room. After all, he intended on meeting Fifteen there so that they could train together with their beam sabers. Oh, god. He was thinking about her again. Delta didn't know what it was, but he tried to shake off this strange feeling. However, he was suddenly pinned against a wall by none other than Killian.

"You bastard. This is all your fault! You made me look bad, you fuck!"

Killian activated his buster arm, pointing it at the side of Delta's head. He lashed out a punch at the gold-clad reploid, who only chuckled after wincing in pain. "What did I ever to you, pal?" Killian headbutted his teammate, ignoring his question. "I'm going to fucking shoot you, ya bastard!"

Delta smirked, slightly tilting his head. "I wouldn't shoot if I were you."

"Why not?"

"Echo, tell him why."

"Because if you kill him, I'll kill you. So, indirectly, you'll be the death of two members of the Special 0 Unit." Echo stood behind Killian, his wrist blade activated, only inches away from the back of the reploid.

Killian grunted in frustration, deactivating his buster. Echo did the same to his wrist blade as Killian marched away. Delta smiled at Echo. "Thanks, man. I owe you one."

"Don't worry. What are friends for?"

"To annoy the hell out of you."

Echo rolled his eyes, walking back to his room. Meanwhile, Delta took the elevator to the 2nd floor. He stepped out of the elevator, and into the Training Room. It was empty, except for him and Fifteen. Fifteen turned to him, pulling out her saber, smiling slightly.

"I was wondering you'd show up."

"Sorry. I'll just use Killian as an excuse."

"What was it this time?"

"He tried to kill me. He thought it was my fault we failed the mission. I wonder about him." Delta said this as he pulled out his own beam saber.

"We all do. Anyways, ready?"

Delta nodded. "Whenever you are."

"Right." Fifteen activated her saber, dashing towards Delta. She swung her saber, but Delta easily blocked it. But the white-clad reploid spun around, bringing her saber around for a quick second strike. Delta was barely able to jump back, narrowly dodging the slice. "Whoa..."

"I know."

Delta quickly swung his saber at Fifteen, who bent her body, dodging the slash. She then quickly jumped up, over Delta, and landed behind him. Trying to catch her friend by surprise, she then forced her entire body down to the ground, and slid under between Delta's legs, further confusing him. She jumped up, hoping she managed to distract Delta long enough to take a quick slash. But she was wrong.

The Maverick Hunter barely managed to bring up his weapon, their sabers locking within each other, before both of them suddenly jumped back, and then quickly dashing towards each other. Delta swung his saber again, though once again, it was met with Fifteen's own saber. Delta let his guard down for a split-second, and Fifteen used this one split-second advantage to poke her saber at Delta's arm, who flinched in a quick pain.

"Agh. Not bad." Delta said, holding his arm briefly.

"Thank you." Fifteen replied, smiling sweetly.

They sparred with each other a bit more, until Delta's saber once again was interlocked with Fifteen's. They wrestled for control, but Fifteen managed to get the upper hand. But they both lost balance, and Fifteen collided into Delta. They both lost their grasp on their sabers, which flew away from them. The female reploid yelled in surprise, and when they fell to the ground, she was lying on top of her friend.

Delta groaned in slight pain. Fifteen rolled her eyes jokingly. "Come on. Get over it!"

"But you're over me...and speaking of that, can you get off?"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Fifteen sheepishly rolled herself off of Delta, picking up her beam saber from the ground. Delta did the same, holstering it. They both laid there briefly until Delta turned to his comrade.

"You gonna get up?"

"Nah. I think I'll stay down here a little longer."

"Mmhmm."

"You're not bad."

"I surprise myself sometimes."

"We all do."

Eventually, Delta got up, and left. The gold-clad Maverick Hunter decided to go back to his room. He passed by the engineering room where he heard Echo and Kayla talking. Interested, Delta pressed his head against the door and listened.

"-you hitting on me?"

"N-No! Of course not!"

"Sure." Then a clanking sound. Then the sound of a gear falling to the ground. Then a slightly frustrated groan. "Dammit..."

"I guess I'll talk to you another time then, since I suppose this isn't the best moment."

Delta raised an eyebrow, stepping away from the door. He was greeted by Echo, who raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?"

Delta didn't realized he was smirking until it was too late. "So, someone likes Kayla?"

"Where'd you get that idea?"

"When you were hitting on her."

"I wasn't hitting on her!"

"Mmhmm. Hold on a second. I'm going to go do something." Delta started to walk into the engineering room.

"W-Where are you going?"

"Hold on a second!"

Delta approached the human, who glanced at him briefly. "Oh, you're that guy. Delta, was it?"

"Yeah."

"Did you come here for repairs, or some parts or something?"

"No. Actually, when Echo was talking to you, he forgot to ask you something."

"Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"He wants to know if you'd like to go out with him."

Kayla smiled briefly turning to Delta. "Sure. Tell him I'm free at around 6:30."

Delta nodded. "Alright. Don't make him cry."

"I promise."

As Delta exited the room, Echo was almost dumbfounded. "W-What did you do that for?"

"Don't worry. It's clearly obvious you like her, so you're going on a date with her!"

"I-I can't do that!"

"She says she's free at 6:30. Don't worry. You'll thank me when you're making out with her."

Delta walked away, smirking to himself. He passed by the infirmary, where Solara had just exited after a brief checkup. She turned to Delta, careful not to accidentally walk into him. "Oh! Hi, Delta!"

"Hey, Solara."

The golden reploid raised an eyebrow when he saw her blush. "Is there something wrong, Solara?" The girl put her hands behind her back, shaking her head.

"Well...see, I just wanted to thank you again for saving me."

"No sweat. Again, we're a team. I'd do anything for you."

"Yeah, well...see, my creator built me to fall in love extremely easily so...you know what? What the hell, brace yourself."

Delta couldn't step back and react until it was too late. Solara wrapped her arms around Delta's neck, leaning towards him. Their lips met, but Delta couldn't pull away, no matter how badly he needed to. The grip on her arms were too strong. They kissed briefly, until Delta managed to finally push her away. Solara smiled, and Delta felt nauseous.

"Well, the first kiss is always the favorite."

"Solara, I don't-"

Before Delta could finish his sentence, a voice was heard in the intercom.

"Attention, all Special 0 Unit Maverick Hunters! Report immediately to the briefing room! A special assignment will be handed out once all the Hunters of the unit are present!"

Solara ran towards the briefing room, and Delta groaned in agony. He didn't have enough time to say he loved someone else.

So...not much to say about this. Again, I thank you if you actually read this. Please review as well! Kthxbai.


	5. Who Are You?

Redemption

Chapter 5: Who Are You?

**My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

1:21 P.M.

Delta hated the jungle. He hated the insects living there. He hated the annoying sounds they made. He hated the thorns and spikes that were called a part of nature. He hated the moist air. He hated nature. Commander Zero had assigned the Maverick Hunters of his unit to investigate the jungle. According to the reports that the navigators had given him, an unusually large energy reading was located in the middle of the jungle. Delta didn't know what an energy source would be doing in the middle of the jungle, unless of course there just so happened to be a facility with several scientists working or something.

As the second-in-command of the unit, Fifteen ordered the unit to walk in a certain way. She would lead the way, while Echo and Delta walked right behind her, and behind them would be Solara and Killian. Fifteen ordered the entire unit to also be completely quiet. She claimed she'd lose her focus if she heard anyone making any noise. Not that the insects making noise everywhere else bothered her.

Killian hadn't spoken a single word during the briefing nor the mission so far. Solara kept on staring at Delta, confused. Echo was nervous, but excited, about his date. Delta paid attention mostly to the insects bothering him. The group briefly stopped in front of a thick stretch of branches and leaves. Fifteen pulled out her beam saber, cutting through the branches like a machete. Delta walked close behind her, but he wished he was a bit further.

The sound of leaves falling surprised Delta, but what surprised him even more was the fact that the white-clad reploid suddenly grabbed his arm, and pulled him towards her, and they suddenly started falling. The two yelled in shock and agony, until they reached the ground. Or below ground. Delta landed right on top of Fifteen, who groaned in pain.

"Can you...get off of me?" Her hair was sprawled all over the floor.

"This makes us even now," Delta said as he got up, looking up. They fell into a hole, that much Delta could instantly make out. As he looked up, he heard Echo's voice calling for his second-in-command and best friend. "Hey! Are you guys okay?"

Fifteen painfully stood up, looking up. "Yeah! We're just fine! In the meantime, just keep going straight. We'll find a way-"

The female couldn't even finish her sentence, as a hatch mysteriously closed off the gate. Delta sighed, rolling his eyes in total darkness. He ran his fingers through his hair, before switching to night vision. Fifteen did the same, and they saw a hole leading somewhere. Delta shrugged, and they silently agreed to go in. It wasn't like they had any other choice, did they?

Eventually, the path kept getting smaller and smaller until the hunters had to resort to crawling the way, with Fifteen in front, and Delta crawling behind. He then felt...air conditioning? Delta then saw a small light, which reminded him of when he first met Zero. Fifteen crawled into a random corridor of what seemed to be a hidden base. A security reploid passed by, but he didn't notice Fifteen. He practically dragged himself through, as if he hadn't slept in days. The female reploid smacked him in the back of the head, knocking him out. Delta stood up behind Fifteen, who then turned to him.

"I'll take the left. You take the right. See you later." Then she ran silently to the left, and Delta did the same to his own designated direction.

It was significantly harder to sneak around with the lights on. In the 6 minutes he had been sneaking, he already silently incapacitated 2 security officers. According to X, security officers were considered innocent civilians, so killing them is considered taboo. Therefore, Delta just stuck to smacking them on the back of the head, or if they were stubborn, chain several punches together.

Eventually, he walked up a few stairs leading into a chamber. This chamber was darker than the other rooms, so Delta stuck to the shadows. Scientists were occupying the chamber, paying attention to their data pads. On the walls were several capsules with balls of energy which glowed purple. He tried to listen as best as he could to what the scientists were saying.

"...stable?"

"Of course it is. Admittedly, it couldn't have been handled very easily a century ago, but this is the 22nd century! There's nothing we can't do in this day and age!"

"The Evil Energy is still alien to us. What if The Reaper decides to rebel against us?"

"Don't worry. By then, we'll have a bunch of other reploids with the Evil Energy. If The Reaper's power alone is powerful enough to easily defeat the strongest unit of the Maverick Hunters, imagine what we could do with an army of Reapers."

The first scientist sighed. "Alright. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Trust me."

The mysterious scientists then left the room. Just in time too, because immediately after they left, Delta heard Fifteen's voice in his headset. "Delta, you there?"

"Yeah. I just heard some scientists talking about this thing called "Evil Energy." You got an idea about that?"

"No, but I'll tell Commander Zero about that. Anyways...I might have...accidentally tripped a silent alarm. We gotta get out of here. Now."

Delta raised his eyes, and ran out the door. He pressed his and against his ear. "Fifteen, where are you?"

"I'm running back to where you came from. Have you seen an elevator?"

"I haven't fully explored the hallway. I walked up some stairs and then you called me."

"That's just dandy. Meet me at said stairs." Delta was met with several resistance, who were easily dispatched by a rushed kick or a slam into the wall. The stairs seemed a lot longer than he remembered. What previously felt like 2 sets of stairs was actually 7. Sighing in frustration, Delta rolled his eyes, and decided to jump down. The second he met the ground, he also met Fifteen, who quickly grabbed his arm.

"Come on, we gotta move!"

Fifteen shot a security officer in the leg, before kicking him. Delta did the same to several security reploids behind them. Eventually, they reached an elevator, and Fifteen clicked on the button. Delta could hear the footsteps getting louder. The elevator door opened, and they ran inside. Delta instantly clicked on the button leading to the first floor. However, when the door opened, they were met by the security officers pointing Buster Shot pistols at them. Delta froze, fearing he'd die.

Then the familiar voice of one of the scientists that Delta had previously seen spoke from within the crowd. Delta got a better look at him up close. Under his white lab coat was dark green armor with a hexagon on his chest. His hair was gray, and he smiled menacingly at Delta, who scowled.

"Well, well. Haven't you two learned that curiosity killed the cat?"

"Doesn't the cat have 9 lives?"

The scientist only smiled more. "You never cease to amuse me, Delta."

Delta's eyes widened in shock as he pulled out his Buster Shot and pointed it at the scientist. "Who are you? How do you know who I am?"

"I am Maximilian, the lead scientist of Project: Alpha. Oh, and it's best if you don't shoot. You and your friend will instantly perish."

"What's Project: Alpha?"

"I'd tell you, but then I'd ruin the fun."

"It's about cloning The Reaper, isn't it?"

The reploid named Maximilian raised an eyebrow. "You overheard my conversation with Decker?"

"A part of it."

"We don't intend to clone The Reaper. That's all the information I'll give you. If you do somehow manage to make it out alive, which I highly doubt, you'll just have to come back and try our files."

"You still haven't answered my other question; how do you know who I am?"

"I-" Before Maximilian could continue, a sudden loud bang was heard. The scientist turned back, and saw a reploid with a visor slashing the security officers down in cold blood with a beam saber. He had silver armor with some parts that were dark red. Delta gasped in confusion. Killian was saving them? As far as he was concerned, Killian only cared about himself.

As the security officers were dead, Maximilian suddenly disappeared, as if he were just a hologram. Killian looked at Delta and Fifteen indifferently, panting.

"Killian, what are you doing here?"

"Saving your lives. Out of all people, I'd be the one to save you. Not Solara or Echo, but me. We can continue being confused later. But right now, we gotta move!"

Fifteen nodded, and Delta reluctantly followed. The gold-clad reploid gulped as he ran past the dead bodies of what X called "innocent civilians." Delta knew Killian was cold, but was he really cruel enough to just kill random civilians in cold blood. Delta shook his head, trying to get the thought out of his head. He's thinking too much into this.

He told himself he should've been glad Killian had saved them in the first place. Maybe he decided to scout ahead in front of Solara and Echo? Regardless of the reason, Killian hacked down several security officers standing in their way, and Fifteen was already exhausted, but she knew she had to press forward.

Eventually, they reached what seemed to be a hatch that was recently blown up with a buster or two. Solara and Echo stood there, armed.

"You guys okay?" Echo asked, concerned.

Delta replied. "Yeah, I'm alright."

His friend nodded. "Alright. I'll try to hold them off as best as I can. Don't worry. I won't kill them."

Fifteen shook her head. "But you'll die!"

"If it gets a bit hard for me, I'll...start running. Now go!"

As the Hunters did so, Echo sliced off an arm of one of the officers, before kicking him down. He deflected an energy pellet with his left wrist blade, while with his other wrist blade, he sliced off the officer's buster arm, before lashing out a powerful punch. The black-clad reploid glanced back, and sliced off both arms of a reploid, who managed to survive, but oil poured out. Echo jumped into the air, and his feet landed on one of the reploid's shoulders. He jumped off when another reploid tried to shoot at him, and he sliced one leg off from both security reploid. And Echo hadn't even broken a sweat.

When one of the reploids appeared, he seemed to be more durable than the others, given his thick armor and muscular build. Echo decided it would be safe for a stab, which he did, and the reploid fell down. Then, using the Shadow Foot Part that Douglas had equipped him with, he dashed backwards, his body passing right through a reploid and appearing right behind him. Echo caught him by surprise, and sweeped him. He then slammed his foot on the security officer's face, effectively knocking him out cold. Then he started to run, as he didn't want to face every single guard. However, before he left, he flicked a tracker on the hidden base, and then met up with his fellow hunters, before making a group teleportation.

4:57 P.M.

Delta decided if he wanted to deal with Solara, he'd have to actually do it, instead of laying on his bed like the lazy ass he is. As he got up, he met up with the female reploid, and decided to talk to her.

"What is it, Delta?"

"Look, Solara, about that kiss...I...I don't love you."

Solara looked down, obviously saddened. "I...I know, but I...I didn't want to think about that. I only thought of myself. I just...I'm stupid because I fall in love too easily."

Delta didn't know what to say. He wasn't particularly good at cheering people up. "Look, you're my friend, alright? I wouldn't ever want to see you hurt but...I love someone else..."

"Who?"

"Well, I can't say for sure if I really do love her or not, because I've never felt that emotion stir inside me before. So...I'm sorry."

Solara nodded. "It's...okay. Thanks for letting me down gently.." Then she walked away.

9:12 P.M.

Echo and Kayla had just returned to Maverick Hunter HQ from their date. Kayla had a fun time. It relieved her stress, and Echo was pretty funny. In fact, the black-clad reploid decided to "borrow" some jokes that Delta had previously told him years ago. It was amazing how he still actually remembered them. Echo felt like throwing a celebration. His first date wasn't a total disaster. That was a good sign. He was greeted by Delta, who was leaning against the wall.

"So, did you have a good time?"

"Sure did!"

"That's good."

"Have you ever thought about giving this love thing a try?"

"Maybe. Maybe not."

* * *

><p>Again, not much to say about this except...I CAN HAZ REVIEW? :D<p> 


	6. Ninjas!

Redemption

Chapter 6: Ninjas!

**My characters belong to me. Everything else is owned by Capcom.**

4:57 P.M.

Rain. There are a lot of theories about rain. Religious theories include that God is crying. Scientific theories include clouds and such. Atheists joke that rain is God taking a piss on Earth. Some hate it. Others love it. Somehow, whenever Delta felt down, infuriated, or very confused, there would always be rain.

Delta stared at the window as the rain poured down on the ground. If only Killian hadn't interrupted the conversation, maybe Delta could've figured out why the strange scientist known as Maximilian knew who he was.

The reploid was exhausted. Earlier today, he had been sent to retrieve several packages for Commander Signas, then later, his unit had been sent on a "find and rescue" mission, but Delta couldn't properly focus. Luckily, he didn't have to shoot anything. Several hunters had gone missing. Some were rescued, while others were just dead. There was fire everywhere. And smashed objects. Destroyed vehicles, injured civilians, smashed highways, yet not a single Maverick in sight.

During the mission, Delta kept on thinking of the Reaper. He thought he was going insane. Because he heard his voice inside his head. As if he were actually there. But it seemed that no one else could the Reaper's voice in their head.

The Maverick Hunter could remember perfectly what The Reaper said exactly in his mind.

"By day, you live to serve who you believe in. By night, you live to serve those who believe in you."

After The Reaper made his declaration in Delta's mind, he was confused for the rest of the day. But that didn't prevent him from being tired. That didn't prevent the gold-clad reploid from remembering he was exhausted. After typing his report, he stared aimlessly at the raindrops falling on the ground. Delta tried to keep his eyes open, but it was tricky. Eventually, Delta gave in to the temptation of sleep. He forced himself up, only to go down again, on his bed. And then he closed his eyes.

10:22 P.M.

When Delta woke up, he found himself lying on the ground. Which was odd, because he could clearly remember laying himself onto the bed. Maybe he fell off in his sleep? No. He would've felt the impact of his body hitting the ground. Or maybe he was too tired to notice? Delta shrugged this off quickly, and stood up, yawning. He frowned when he discovered what time it was. Not feeling tired anymore, Delta decided to go outside again.

"It's funny. Ever since we encountered The Reaper, I've actually been able to sleep now. But every time I fall asleep, I find myself yelling out of a nightmare."

"So, do you refuse to sleep now?" Delta and Fifteen found themselves talking to each other again, sitting on the same hill, staring at the same statue. Fifteen shrugged.

"I'm trying to avoid sleep as long as I can before I collapse. Anyway, I never had the time to ask; what was The Reaper like?"

Delta was caught off-guard by the question, and his eyes widened. But he managed to compose himself and answer the random question. "Well, for one, he's fucking creepy. Second, what's weird is that we were all pinned to the ground by nothing, but after he left, we were perfectly able to get up."

"Telekinesis?"

"That's not possible."

"You never know."

"You've seen too many movies."

"It's funny. I'm not usually this...calm...around others. I've never really been able to really socialize with others before you. Most of the time I open my mouth, orders and quick responses come out."

"This isn't going where I think it's going, is it?"

Fifteen chuckled mildly. "No, I don't think so."

"Good. I've only known you for like, a week or something."

"About 3 or 4 days."

"Wow. And they say time flies by so quickly."

The female shrugged, while the male looked up at the sky.

2 days passed by, and nothing. No missions. Boring days. Nothing to do. And yet, Delta was okay with that. So was Echo. And Fifteen. Delta hadn't seen Solara in a small while, though, and he was slowly getting worried. Killian was just being, well, Killian.

Delta opened his eyes, finding himself on this comfortable bed in his room. He didn't bother trying to get up. He stared at the ceiling, then he turned his head to the window. It was morning, sunny, and seemingly happy. The gold-clad reploid sighed, remembering several lyrics from a century-old song.

_It'll all click when the mortgage clears,  
><em>_All our fears will disappear,  
><em>_Now you go to bed,  
><em>_I'm staying here,  
><em>_I've got another level that I wanna clear_

_My skin feels like orange peel,  
><em>_My eyes have been vacuum-sealed,__My organs move like a squirm of eels,  
><em>_We should be more adventurous with our meals_

_They annoy me, those who employ me,__They could destroy me,  
><em>_They should enjoy me,  
><em>_We eat Chinese off our knees,  
><em>_And look for each other in the TV screen_

_The sun goes up and the sun goes down,  
><em>_I drag myself into the town,  
><em>_All I do I wanna do with you,  
><em>_Everyday, I'm at my desk,  
><em>_At my desk, I'm like the rest,  
><em>_All I do I wanna do with you_

Then Delta suddenly jumped up in surprise, as the base's alarm started to ring. X's voice was heard over the intercom. "This is Commander X! We are under attack by Mavericks! Defend the base immediately! We cannot afford the Mavericks to take over the HQ!"

The Maverick Hunter exited his room, deciding to use his Buster Shot pistol. What were Mavericks doing attacking the HQ? He turned to his left, seeing the elevator door open. He aimed his pistol at the elevator, assuming a Maverick was there. But instead, there was Fifteen. Her hair was a mess. She had a burn mark on her shoulder. Blood was coming out of her mouth. Alarmed, Delta ran towards her.

"Fifteen, are you alright?"

"No! Does it fucking look like I'm alright? I got shot in the shoulder and I got beaten. Help me to my room! I have some emergency medical supplies there. The Mavericks have already taken the 4th Floor! It's only a matter of time before they take this floor too!"

Delta took Fifteen's arm, wrapping it around his neck. She could barely walk. In fact, she was limping. As they reached her room, the female reploid quickly entered the code to her room, and before she entered, Delta spoke up.

"I'm going to hold the Mavericks as long as I can."

Before Fifteen could speak against it, Delta ran towards the elevator, taking it to the 4th floor. Expecting it to be crawling with Mavericks, Delta took out his Buster Shot again, sticking it out so that he'd be prepared to face them.

As the elevator door opened at the 4th floor, Delta's face met a Maverick's, and the gold-clad Hunter immediately pulled the trigger. The hostile reploid's head flew off. As Delta roughly pushed the body down, other Mavericks turned to him, aiming their own busters at him.

Since there was nothing to take cover behind, he had to take his chances. He ducked his head and a plasma beam passed right over his head. Delta then shot at the Mavericks, easily dispatching them. A door to his side suddenly opened, and he immediately pulled the trigger as another Maverick exited the room. He slowly started to run, but he heard a door open behind him. He wasn't quick enough to turn and shoot. He felt the Maverick's cold buster at the back of his head, and when he heard the sound of a buster firing, he thought he had died. Then he blinked. And he sighed. That must mean he's still alive, right? He turned around, and saw the enemy crumble before him. Behind him was Killian, armed with his own buster. He stared at Delta indifferently.

"There are more Mavericks on the 3rd floor. Go there. I can take the rest of the hostiles."

This was the second time Killian had saved Delta's life. Didn't he hate him? Killian seemed to hate Delta, but he managed to save his life two times. Was it just because it looked better in his report or something? Deciding to think this through later, Delta nodded, taking the elevator down to the next floor.

There seemed to be twice as much Mavericks on the 3rd Floor. Delta barely dodged an energy beam aimed at his head. He exited the elevator again, shooting down one enemy, while other shot at him again. Delta rushed himself to the wall, dodging the projectile. The Hunter decided to use his Repliforce training to good use, as he jumped onto the wall, clumsily running on it. Back at Repliforce training, they were taught acrobatic skills, such as back flips and such. Maverick Hunters later used a method similar to this, as used by Echo earlier.

Delta ran up the wall, then slowly started to slip downwards, making himself a harder target for the Maverick. He jumped in the air, tackling the Maverick into the ground. Delta stumbled to his feet, slamming his foot into the enemy's face. Suddenly, three Mavericks appeared seemingly out of nowhere. One in front of him, two behind him. He was caught off-guard, and because of this, he was shot in the back, then in the chest. Delta managed to shoot the Maverick in front of him, but then he felt a shock, and he collapsed, paralyzed. Then he closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, around the same time Killian saved Delta again, Echo and Solara were all the way at the end of the 4th Floor, taking out several Mavericks in the Engineering Room. The black-armored Maverick Hunter took cover behind a malfunctioned Ride Armor. The female Hunter crouched behind a counter alongside Douglas, who was holding a wrench as if it were a hammer. Kayla was on the other side of the room, trying to activate a Ride Armor, but the Mavericks seemed to be focused on her.

Echo, determined to save Kayla, climbed on top of the Ride Armor, before leaping off of it. He sliced one Maverick's head off with his wrist blade, while he turned to Kayla's direction, knowing Solara had his back. This was instantly proved when Solara shot down two hostiles who Echo turned his back on. He sprinted towards the Mavericks, who were marching towards the female mechanic. Echo dashed towards the Mavericks, slicing their heads off with ease. Then Echo turned to the door, which Killian's body flew through. Two Mavericks dressed in pitch-black armor with black goggles walked through the door.

Killian painfully stood up, groaning as he glared at the shadowy enemies. The first one walked towards the silver reploid, clutching a beam saber in hand. The second turned to Echo, and suddenly disappeared. Echo was caught off-guard when the seemingly ninja-like reploid appeared instantly in front of him, slashing at his chest with his beam saber. Echo yelled in pain, stepping back. He clutched his wound, glaring at his enemy.

Killian ducked, dodging his enemy's swing. However, the hostile immediately followed up with a roundhouse kick, which knocked Killian to the wall. His visor slightly cracked. His favorite visor. That Maverick scumbag was going to pay. Killian turned to the enemy, clearly pissed off. In anger, he dashed towards the threat, swinging his saber to the left of the Maverick's torso. As the Maverick disappeared before the saber could cut him, Killian quickly mentally noted that they were like ninjas. Or samurai. Whatever. Expecting the ninja to appear behind him, Killian swung his saber backwards, which caused it to lock with the Maverick's saber. Killian gritted his teeth, bringing his foot up. His foot hit the spot between the ninja's legs. The Maverick groaned in pain, and Killian used this distraction to stab him. But even that was not enough. The Maverick brought his head up, headbutting the Hunter. He was knocked back, and growled in disbelief. The ninja then started teleporting everywhere, purposely confusing Killian. One second, he was back at the door. Another, he was standing on top of the counter. Then he was in front of Killian again. Then he was behind him. But even the silver-clad Maverick Hunter wasn't quick enough for him. Luckily, the loud metallic sound was heard, and the Maverick fell down, revealing Douglas, holding his trusty wrench.

Unfortunately, Echo wasn't having as much luck as Killian with his own ninja-like opponent. Echo's left wrist blade met the ninja's saber. The Hunter tried to quickly slam his right wrist blade into the Maverick's face, but he quickly teleported behind the Hunter. The first thing that came into Echo's mind was to jump in the air, landing behind the Maverick, causing the ninja's plan to backfire. Echo did just this, but the Maverick was quicker than him in reaction. When Echo tried to stab him from behind with his wrist blades, the Maverick immediately ducked. Echo brought back his wrist blades to follow up with another attack, but this proved to be a fatal mistake. The ninja-like opponent spun around, slamming his saber into Echo's stomach. The black-armored Hunter's eyes widened in pain as he coughed out some blood. As the Maverick teleported behind him, Echo fell down in pain.

Kayla screamed. That was the thing that drove Echo even further. He painfully, but quickly, stood up, turning around to see the Maverick approaching the human girl. He seemed to be taking his time, as if he enjoyed killing innocent bystanders. Echo growled loudly, loud enough for the ninja to turn around. But by the time he did, Echo grabbed his opponent by the neck, slamming him into the wall. With his free hand, he repeatedly stabbed the ninja in the stomach, blood (or oil, whatever works better) flew at Echo, but he didn't seem to flinch at it. As the finishing touch, Echo slammed his blade into the Maverick's face, instantly killing him.

The pain drove Echo to fall down as well, writhing in agony. Kayla knelt down beside him, grabbing his arm.

"A-Are you alright?"

"Don't worry...I'll make it."

"Th-thanks for saving me..."

"No problem, Kayla...it's my pleasure."

Just then, Fifteen entered the room, a worried expression on her face. After blasting the last Maverick, Solara turned to her. "What's wrong, Fifteen?"

"I've got some good news and...bad news."

Killian stood up straight. "Okay. What's the good news?"

"We've managed to destroy all of the Mavericks attacking HQ. Zero wants us to report to the briefing room in approximately 10 minutes. He'd like to discuss the circumstances of the bad news with us. Is everyone alright?"

Douglas nodded. "Yeah, we're cool. But tell us. What's the bad news?"

Fifteen gulped, and her expression became more pained by the second. "Delta's been captured."

* * *

><p>A cookie goes to anyone who guesses the song from the middle of the chapter! Again, reviews are deeply appreciated!<p> 


	7. Isolation

Redemption

Chapter 7: Isolation

**My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

Irrelevant note: In the last chapter, the song was Cells, by The Servant.

Other irrelevant note: When I was describing The Reaper in Chapter 3, I had Ultron in mind. So...yeah.

"Welcome back, Delta."

Delta snapped his eyes open. He was in a dark chamber. He tried moving, but he couldn't. He realized he was being held back by electrical restraints. He eventually ceased resisting his restraints as he glared at Maximilian. "You never answered my question...how do you know who I am?"

"I'd tell you, but I'd ruin the suspense." The scientist chuckled, walking over to a console.

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing, really. We're just using you as bait so that your precious unit will come rescue you. When they come, we'll shoot to kill."

"Y-You can't do that!" Delta, in a fit of sudden anger, tried to break the restraints, but Maximilian held an amused smile.

"There's nothing I can't do." The scientist then pressed a button, and to Delta, it felt like a million volts of electricity were shocking him. Delta could do nothing but squirm, and yell. Maximilian pressed the button again, and the electricity ceased.

"D-D-Damn you!" Delta was visibly shaking now.

"Yes, many have tried. Then soon, they were the ones were who were damned."

"I'm going to kill you...I'm going to rip you apart, piece by piece." Delta growled in resentment.

"You wouldn't do that. I hold many answers. For every question you have, I have an answer."

"Then tell me...what are you doing with the Evil Energy?"

"It's a part of Project: Alpha."

The gold-clad Maverick Hunter gritted his teeth. "What is Project: Alpha?"

"The beginning." Maximilian answered, but it didn't help Delta one bit.

"The-"

"Enough questions for now. I've got work to do. If you'll excuse me, I've got to meet up with Decker. Poor man's quite nervous."

Delta just stayed there. He looked down at the ground. This plain, nasty, ugly, ground stared back at him. And once again, Delta sighed.

"So, Commander Zero, what's the game plan?"

The Special 0 Unit were in the briefing room. Killian was sitting in a chair, his arms crossed. Fifteen had her back against a wall, hands behind her. Solara stood up, leaning against the table. Echo stood up straight, arms crossed, frowning. Zero stood in the center.

"The game plan, Killian, is going to concern the help of the entire team. You and Solara will blow up the entrance once again, distracting the security officers. Killian, be sure that you don't kill them. Solara, remember to set your buster's status to stun."

"What about me and Fifteen?" Echo spoke up.

"I was about to get to that. According to the mission report Fifteen gave me earlier, there is a hole that leads into the lab. They don't seem to know that the hidden entrance even exists. So you and Fifteen will sneak through their, and rescue Delta. Meanwhile, I'm going to sneak in via the main entrance while Killian and Solara are distracting the guards. I'm going to try to download some files concerning Project: Alpha. Does everyone understand their role?"

Everyone in the room nodded, as Zero sighed. "Okay. Let's move out then."

Killian and Solara really didn't say anything. They barely knew each other anyway. Killian knew how cheery and happy Solara usually was, and she knew how grumpy and how much of an asshole Killian is. But that was about it. An old saying, "Opposites Attract," doesn't describe Killian and Solara whatsoever.

"Okay. On 3, you two fire the shots at the hatch."

"Alright."

"1..." Killian charged up his buster, narrowing his eyes. Zero crouched, ready to run.

"2..." Solara did the same, focusing her aim on the door, which was somehow repaired. Either the repairmen were very reliable, or the auto-repairs system did the job.

"3!" They shot their fully charged shots. The two rushed towards the explosion. Remembering what Zero said, Solara switched her buster to Stun Mode. Killian did the same. At first, the smoke was so thick, no one could see anything. Zero managed to sneak through a door, and by the time the smoke cleared up, the two Maverick Hunters raised hell as the alarm rang.

"I really hope I'm not claustrophobic..." Echo muttered as he began crawling. Fifteen rolled her eyes.

"Get over it. At least you can see with the night vision setting." Fifteen felt nervous. She thought that something would go wrong, as if she thought they expected them to come. She sighed, crawling back into the same chamber as she did with Delta. Echo stood up, turning off his night vision settings. Fifteen turned to a corner, and immediately grabbed a security officer by his collar, slamming his head into the wall, effectively knocking him out.

The two had silently decided to split up. Fifteen went the same way she did last time, and Echo went the other way.

As the alarm rang, Maximilian smirked at Delta. "Well, now. It seems your friends took the bait."

"You really think a couple of guards can take down my entire unit?"

"No. But The Reaper can."

Delta's eyes widened, and his futile attempts to break out of his restraints made the scientist laugh. The Maverick Hunter growled. "You...you're no better than any other Maverick..."

Maximilian chuckled to himself. "You think I really care for morality, boy?"

"You're mad..."

"I've been called many things, boy."

"I'm going to kill you. I promise you that. I swear I will kill you. Once I get off these restraints, your life will be hell. Your pathetic little life will be mine..." Delta felt...different, when he said this. As if someone else were saying it. But he felt himself choosing to make those words.

Maximilian raised an eyebrow. "The persona is taking over..."

"What?"

"Damn. I said too much. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut."

"What do you mean, the persona is taken over?"

"Why don't you go find out?"

The scientist grinned as he electrified Delta for another minute, before leaving. Delta instantly felt weak, as if the power in his systems were drained. He tried to keep his eyes open, but he couldn't. Delta gritted his teeth, trying with all of his strength to stay up. He had to show Maximilian he wouldn't go down. He wouldn't break. But he had already broken long ago...

Meanwhile, Zero had snuck into the elevator. He guessed the primary computer would be on the top floor, so he pressed on the button leading to the 8th Floor. While he was waiting, Zero activated his Buster, getting ready for any threat. Surprisingly, there were no guards on this floor at the moment. The red-clad Maverick Hunter entered each room, until he finally found Maximilian's computer. Zero tried to turn it on, but it required a password.

"Dammit." Zero pressed on the side of his head, activating his built-in communicator. "Alia, can you decrypt the password for me?" He hoped his Navigator would be able to do so. Other reploids in Zero's place would've prayed, but the sword fighter never believed in a God. He never believed in any deities. Alia sighed, and Zero heard typing over the other end.

"I'll try my best. Hold on a second."

Zero heard yelling from behind the door. He activated his Buster again, pointing it at the door in case a security guard entered the room. He heard footsteps, but so far, no one had entered the room. Then he heard Alia sigh in frustration. "Damn!"

"What is it?"

"There seems to be a firewall. I'll have to deactivate that first. This might take a while."

"Work as fast as you can. I can't afford to have the entire team waiting on me."

Solara and Killian were surprised to found out that these guards were a lot harder to beat than the guards from the previous mission. Somehow, these guards seem more...durable. Not to mention faster. They had faster reflexes, and faster running speed. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that had the word "ELITE" on their backs. Whatever. Killian could still handle them. Knowing that he wasn't good with non-lethal saber methods, the hunter decided to resort to hand-to-hand combat.

He dashed to the right, dodging a punch to the face. The silver hunter slammed his foot into the guard's stomach, bringing him down. Killian then kneed the guard in the face, knocking him out.

"Alright, who's next?"

Another officer sprinted towards the Maverick Hunter, throwing a punch at him. Killian grinned, catching the fist. He spun around, and let go of the fist, the officer's body flying into the wall. He wished everyone he fought wasn't so weak. He missed the old days when Mavericks were actually challenging. Whenever Sigma wasn't at large, they'd been reduced to something like beating up security officers!

Solara jabbed an officer in the face with her buster, distracting him. She then shot him, volts of electricity flying around his body, effectively stunning him. As she turned to see another guard run towards her, Solara timed it just right to that when she slammed her foot down, her foot would hit the guard's foot. Distracted by the pain, Solara would shoot the damned officer. And that was exactly what happened.

"This is a bit exhausting. I hope Commander Zero is alright."

"Don't worry. I'm sure he can perfectly take care of himself." Oh, how wrong Killian was at the moment.

As Alia finally managed to decrypt the password, Zero went to work on downloading the files of concerning Project: Alpha. He even took the time to download the files that concern The Reaper. He never kept his eyes off the door though. He uploaded the files into a flash drive, and put it in his storage hatch, or in other words, a pocket. As Zero hesitantly opened the door, no one was there. Exhaling, Zero exited the room. However, immediately as he turned around a corner, he felt a metallic hand slam into his neck, and he felt his body hit the wall hard. He found himself staring at the menacing face of The Reaper. He stared at his face, his silver armor, his gleaming eyes, and the whole that acted as a mouth that was forever stuck as a grin. At least, a grin without teeth. The Reaper brought up his fist, slamming it into Zero's face. The red-clad Maverick Hunter groaned, and then he spat at The Reaper's face.

In response, the metallic reploid threw Zero away from him, in the direction of the elevator.

"You disgust me. Begone forever!"

Zero felt himself being lifted into the air, though nothing was holding him. He was floating in the air, or so Zero thought at the time. Then he turned to The Reaper's direction, and saw that his hand was raised. What was he doing? Zero guessed it when The Reaper slammed his hand downwards, and the red-clad Maverick Hunter's body was slammed into the ground. Zero quickly raised his buster arm, and shot several energy pellets at the hostile reploid. It didn't do any real damage, but it managed to stun him long enough for Zero to stumble into the elevator and reunite with Killian and Solara.

Fifteen took a deep breath. This was it. A few minutes earlier, she had interrogated a security officer, demanding where the prisoner chamber is. In fear, the guard told her that the prisoner chambers were up ahead, on the right side of the hallway. The white-armored Hunter didn't really care what was on the other side. There were 5 prisoner chambers. Fifteen checked 4 of them until she stood in front of the last door. As she entered it, she was relieved to see Delta there. Delta looked up, eyes wide.

"F-Fifteen? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. And well, for once, I'm not the damsel in distress!"

"Ha ha. Very funny. Could you get me off of this thing?"

"Sure." Fifteen walked over to a console, shutting down the restraints. Delta's body crashed into the ground, and he groaned. The female reploid walked over to him, looking at him.

"Can you walk, or am I going to have to carry you?"

"I can limp..."

Sighing, Fifteen helped Delta up. She took his arm, wrapping it around her neck. Together, they slowly exited the room. The blonde female raised an eyebrow as she realized there were burn marks all over him.

"What happened to you?"

"A few 8 shockings as a torture method by Maximilian. I don't know why, but he just won't kill me. I should be able to recover in a few minutes. I just need to get used to walking."

Fifteen activated her own built-in communicator, contacting Echo. "Echo, I've found Delta."

"Okay. That's good. Let's meet back at the secret entrance, alright?" Echo responded over the other side. Fifteen nodded.

"Affirmative."

After slowly walking for what seemed like forever, they finally met up with Echo, who was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, two unconscious security reploids lying on the ground. He looked worried when he saw Delta.

"Is he alright?"

Fifteen managed a shrug. "He says he'll be able to walk in a few minutes."

Delta took a deep breath. "I-I think I can walk now..."

Fifteen slowly released herself from Delta's grasp. The gold-clad hunter took out his saber, looking up.

"Alright. Let's go."

They traveled to the elevator, but Delta became alarmed when he once again heard The Reaper's voice inside his head. He looked around, but Fifteen and Echo didn't seem to hear the Reaper's voice. Delta slightly grunted. The voice was so clear that it was almost as if The Reaper was standing right in front of him.

"_I'm coming for you. And your pitiful little friends as well..."_

Delta shuddered, and Echo faced him. "Something up?"

Reluctantly, Delta nodded. "I'm hearing The Reaper's voice inside my head. He says he's coming for us."

Fifteen put a concerned look on her face. "How come we can't hear him?"

"I don't know..."

The elevator door opened, revealing numerous bodies sprawled across the ground. Killian, Solara, and Zero stood there, taking a breather. They looked at the three when they exited the elevator. They all stumbled across the room, careful not to fall over an unconscious body. When they finally reached their teammates, the elevator door opened again, revealing The Reaper. Delta gaped in horror, and tried to run away. The others did the same. The enemy chased after them, hot on their trail. Delta was scared. Not for himself, but for his team, and what would become of them...

To be continued...possibly tomorrow. Yeah...I CAN HAZ REVIEW? :D


	8. A World So Cold

Redemption

Chapter 8: A World So Cold

**My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

The entire team ran. They thought they had a chance of escaping. They needed some way to lose The Reaper, but that was easier said than done since he was chasing after them. Suddenly, everyone fell to the ground, and were being dragged by nothing. The Reaper seemed to be telekinetically pulling them towards him. Delta pulled out his Buster Shot, shooting at the silver enemy.

The Reaper shook his head, grunting as he let go of everyone. However, he regained his senses, and managed to roll out of the way of Zero's saber slash. Killian's saber suddenly flew into The Reaper's hand, and he used it against Zero. He easily blocked every slash Zero threw at him, before kicking him away. Fifteen ran towards the red-eyed reploid, saber in hand. She intended to stab him, but the Reaper seemed quicker. He jumped back, evading the stab.

While Fifteen was fighting The Reaper, Killian and Solara were charging their busters, careful not to shoot their teammate. Zero jumped up, aiding Fifteen in the fight, even though it didn't seem to make any difference to The Reaper. He easily blocked each and every slash they gave him.

The Reaper then rammed his foot into Zero's face, knocking him back. Fifteen tried to stab The Reaper in the face, but he deftly dashed to the side, before sweeping her, knocking Fifteen into the ground, causing her to drop her saber. However, before she could get up, The Reaper grabbed Fifteen by the neck, throwing her into a tree.

However, The Reaper was caught off-guard by the blasts from Killian and Solara. Killian's blast knocked The Reaper forward a bit, while Solara's blast hit his hand, causing the enemy to drop Killian's beam saber. Zero attempted to use this to his advantage, swinging his saber towards the silver Maverick. The Reaper effortlessly ducked, before raising his leg into Zero's hand, which caused his very own Z-Saber to fly out of his hand. The Maverick jumped to his feet, delivering a roundhouse kick into the Commander. Zero did his best to try to stay up, but The Reaper then punched the red-clad Hunter into a tree.

Echo, Killian, and Solara could see that Delta really was in no condition to fight, so they tried their best to defeat The Reaper, even though he seemed to have effortlessly taken out Zero and Fifteen.

"I'm going to take on The Reaper." Echo announced to his teammates. Solara shook her head in objection.

"You can't! It's too dangerous, Echo!"

"I have to try. For Delta."

Before Solara could object any more, Killian stuck his arm in front of Solara, signaling her to be quiet. The Reaper stared at them, walking towards them. Killian didn't need to tell the female that there was no time to argue. He nodded at Echo, who activated his wrist blades.

Echo jumped into the air, intending to land behind The Reaper. However, he miscalculated the height of his jump, and his strategy resulted in The Reaper grabbing Echo's arm in mid-air, and slamming his body into the ground. Echo weakly tried to get up, but the Maverick ruthlessly kicked the Maverick Hunter in the face, knocking him back a bit. Determined to protect his unit, Echo stood up, panting. Blood dripped out of his mouth. And there wasn't a single scratch on The Reaper.

Echo lunged towards the hostile reploid, throwing predictable attacks, all of which The Reaper managed to dodge. The other two Hunters charged their busters once more, trying to aim for the Maverick's head. As they shot their fully-charged shots, they were slow enough for The Reaper to jump over, landing in front of the hunters. He smacked Killian in the face, knocking him down. Solara backed away in fear, but the Maverick was without mercy, and he grabbed the brown-haired female by the neck, and before slamming her into the ground, damaging her helmet.

Killian got up, only to be knocked down again thanks to a punch given by the silver hostile. However, the Maverick Hunter didn't even get a chance to get up, as The Reaper slammed his foot into Killian's face, severely cracking his visor. The Maverick then dashed to the side, narrowly evading Echo's wrist blade. Echo shifted his body so that he was fully facing the enemy now. Nervous, Echo quickly took a deep breath, hoping he could balance offense with defense.

Echo sliced at The Reaper, intending to cut his neck. However, his slash wasn't quick enough, as the enemy merely dashed back. Echo pulled back his arm, before trying to stab The Reaper in the face with his other blade. He would have, had the maverick not grabbed his arm. With the energy blade only inches away from the maverick's face, Echo tried to push his arm forward in order for the blade to touch The Reaper's face. But the silver maverick was stronger than Echo, and he punched Echo in the stomach, knocking him back slightly. Echo performed a side kick aimed at his enemy's chest, but The Reaper deftly grabbed the hunter's foot, tossing him upwards, causing Echo to flip in the air.

The Maverick Hunter was barely able to land on his feet, but he might as well had crashed into the ground, because The Reaper wrapped his hand around the back of Echo's head, and pushed him down, sending him face first into the ground. Growling, Echo jumped to his feet, putting on a defensive stance. The Reaper let his guard down, and lunged his fist towards Echo, who ducked his head down, dodging the punch. The black-armored Maverick Hunter then followed up with an attack using his energy blade, slashing at his opponent's stomach, causing him to grunt. The reploid then delivered an uppercut, knocking The Reaper back a bit, though he didn't lose his balance.

The Maverick managed to regain his senses, before delivering an unexpected uppercut at Echo. The Reaper then grabbed Echo by his neck, before throwing him into a tree, knocking him out. Solara mustered up enough strength to get up, firing a charged shot at The Reaper. The impact of the shot only slightly damaged the back of The Reaper's head, as we was caught off-guard again. Before Solara got a chance to shoot again, The Reaper telekinetically grabbed Solara, and her body was thrown about 6 feet in the air, before being slammed into the ground.

Killian grunted, ripping off his now useless visor. He took his saber from the ground, as the Reaper telekinetically took both Zero and Fifteen's saber, deftly wielding both of them. He lifted them up, before slamming them downwards. Killian blocked both blades with his saber, before dashing back to be safe.

The Reaper dashed towards Killian, swinging his sabers at both sides of Killian, giving him no way to block. The Maverick Hunter gasped, jumping back to dodge the slashes. The maverick immediately followed up with a stabbing motion using Fifteen's saber, but Killian had barely managed to stumble to the side, dodging the saber. The Reaper then realized that he had accidentally lodged Fifteen's saber into a tree. He tried to pull it out, but he sacrificed it, deciding that he'd rather still have his hand, which Killian attempted to cut off. Still clutching the Z-Saber, The Reaper stared at Killian.

"You've grown stronger, Killian..."

"Training, experience, and skill is what truly makes one stronger. You, of all people, used to know that well. Now, you're nothing more than a Maverick intent on destroying all life."

"Close, but not exactly. See, I don't want to destroy all life. I want to rule all life. And I used to believe in skill, but the Evil Energy is all that matters to me..."

"Maximilian is going to betray you the first chance he gets."

"How would he do that? Unless he's suicidal..."

"You just don't get it, do you? He'll backstab you the first chance he gets once Project: Alpha is done. He'll overthrow you, and he'll take your power. Your Evil Energy, and your supposed position as ruler."

"What if he just so happened to be a casualty of war?"

"Then Project: Alpha will be put on hiatus, and you won't be gaining any more power for some time..."

The Reaper grunted, before taking a step towards Killian, who took a step back. Killian gripped his saber tightly, staring intensely at his opponent. The hunter let out a yell, and sprinted towards his enemy. Killian intended to dash back just as he'd reach The Reaper, whom the hunter predicted he'd throw a slash at him. Then Killian would catch The Reaper by surprise, and before he'd be able to bring up his saber again, he'd go in for the kill. It might have worked, if only The Reaper didn't have telekinetic abilities.

This was a grave mistake on Killian's part. The Reaper stuck out his arm, and Killian's body was knocked into a tree. But The Reaper wasn't even done. He then brought up his arm, and the Hunter flew into the air, before being slammed into the ground, like Solara. Killian groaned, painfully trying to get up. Ruthlessly, The Reaper kicked Killian in the face.

Delta stood up, leaning against a tree. He felt as if his control circuits were going to fry any second now. He pulled out his Buster Shot, shooting several energy shots at The Reaper, who stepped back a bit with each shot, though the pistol was suddenly forced out of Delta's hand. As The Reaper telekinetically stole the Buster Shot, he crushed it in his grasp, before looking at Delta.

"Are you going to bring me back to the lab"?

"No. I don't think I will do that..."

"Why not?" Delta gulped as he asked this question, panting in exhaustion.

"I want you to tell the Maverick Hunters about me, Delta. I want them to fear me..."

"Why does everyone know who I am? Seriously. How do YOU know who I am? Answer that question for me!"

"I can't say. You have to discover that on your own."

"Why are you so damned cryptic?"

"Because I choose to be."

Then as The Reaper turned his back on Delta, the gold-clad Hunter passed out. Fifteen and Zero snapped their eyes open, but neither of them saw The Reaper. It was as if he suddenly disappeared. The two painfully got up, before teleporting the team out of the area. Most of the team was sent down to the infirmary, but Zero seemed fine, and Fifteen refused to have any medical attention, claiming her wounds weren't anything auto-repairs couldn't handle.

Killian was the first to recover. He had Douglas manufacture a new visor for him. A transparent visor that gleamed red, like The Reaper's eyes. Lifesaver had sent a report to Signas requesting him to have Killian off-duty for a week, due to his wounds. Signas approved the report, and the Maverick Hunter was advised not to go on any missions for a full week. This didn't bother Killian that much, but it will be hard finding something to do.

Echo was the second to recover, though since his wounds weren't as bad as Killian's, he wasn't given a week's "vacation," as Killian had worded it. The next Maverick Hunter to recover was Solara, but she had to stay in the infirmary for another day for her helmet to be fully repaired. And then there was Delta.

Fifteen took a deep breath, looking at Lifesaver. "So, how's Delta doing?"

Lifesaver shook his head. "I'm afraid he'll be offline for another 2 days. Maximilian might have went too far with his torture method, and Delta's memory chip has been damaged. It'll reboot itself in two days. He'll wake up when we activate him once more. The bottom line is, he'll be alright."

"That's good to know."

Fifteen sat down on a chair next to Delta's bed, staring at the empty shell that was Delta's body, and started singing quietly to a song.

_I never thought I'd feel this_

_Guilty and I'm broken down inside_

_Livin' with myself, nothing but lies_

_I always thought I'd make it_

_But never knew I'd let it get so bad_

_Livin' with myself is all I have_

_I feel numb_

_I can't come to life_

_I feel I'm frozen in time_

_Livin' in a world so cold, wasting away_

_Livin' in a shell with no soul since you've gone away_

_Livin' in a world so cold, counting the days_

_Since you've gone away_

_Do you ever feel me?_

_Do you ever look deep down_

_Staring at yourself, paralyzed?_

_I feel numb_

_I can't come to life_

_I feel like I'm frozen in time_

_Livin' in a world so cold, wasting away_

_Livin' in a shell with no soul since you've gone away_

_Livin' in a world so cold, counting the days_

_Since you've gone away from me_

_I'm too young to lose my soul_

_I'm too young to feel this old_

_So long, I'm left behind_

_I feel like I'm losing my mind_

_Do you ever feel me?_

_Do you ever look deep down_

_Staring at yourself, paralyzed?_

_Livin' in a world so cold, wasting away_

_Livin' in a shell with no soul since you've gone away_

_Livin' in a world so cold, counting the days_

_Since you've gone away from me_

Fifteen sighed, before kissing Delta on the forehead. Then she got up, and walked away.

* * *

><p>I DEMAND REVIEWS. Please? :D<p> 


	9. Numbers

Redemption

Chapter 9: Numbers

**My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

The room was dark. The figure preferred sitting in the shadows. Darkness always comforted him, no matter what. He put his feet on the table, looking at Maximilian, who raised an eyebrow.

"How good are you, exactly?"

"Let's just say I can do anything. Why do you ask?" The figure crossed his arms.

"It's hard to find competent bounty hunters. Especially one who's an acquaintance of Delta."

"If you ever want another job, you should see my friend Dynamo. He's pretty good, too."

"Maybe. Anyway, here's the job. In exactly 4 days, I want you to start a riot in Abel City with my grunts. That will get the Maverick Hunters' attention. Make sure for the destruction rate to be high. We want to get the right unit. Casualties are also necessary. You'll have about 20 grunts with you. When you see Delta, flee for the power station. Make sure he'll chase you. Once you reach the power station, destroy it."

"Then what?"

"Then destroy Delta. Let him die knowing that he failed to save this one simple task of protecting the power. But be cautious. If he is truly as good as The Reaper says, you should exercise caution. Strangely, I've never actually seen The Reaper fight Delta, but I'm getting off task. Any questions?"

"Why 4 days?"

"My spies tell me that he'll be out cold for 2 days. I want him to adjust to being awake for another 2 days before being killed. I told my plan to The Reaper, but he refused. So I had to find someone else. Do we have a deal, Magnus?"

The bounty hunter named Magnus nodded. "Yeah. We do."

What the scientist didn't tell Magnus that he was going to send one wave of Mavericks on the day Delta wakes up. Then another the day after. Maximilian thought of it like he was "warming Delta up." He simply didn't tell Magnus because he simply didn't need to know.

Commander Zero sat in his room. He uploaded his flash drive into his computer, and now, he was reading the files concerning Project: Alpha. Zero read the files as much as he could, and from what he was able to understand, there were 16 capsules. All of the capsules contained a reploid with a substance called Evil Energy inside them. However, the first capsule was the only capsule that wasn't actually created by Maximilian. Same goes for the reploid, who already had Evil Energy within it's systems when Maximilian had found it. As Zero read some more, it was reported that one day, the reploid was mysteriously gone, and the capsule was destroyed.

As for the other capsules, Maximilian created 15 other reploid bodies, placing Evil Energy inside them, as this Evil Energy seemed unpredictable. These bodies were "special." If Evil Energy was placed inside any other body, everything inside it would be completely eradicated. These "special" bodies were made up of what seemed to be lightweight titanium-x alloy, and a rare substance created a century ago called Bassnium. Together, the Evil Energy would be stuck inside the body, while being unable to destroy everything inside. The capsules seemed to be scattered all over the continent, so no one would ever find them.

Then Zero read that the last capsule was also destroyed, and the reploid had disappeared. The reploid disappeared 4 years ago. Zero didn't like to believe in coincidences, but he also didn't want to believe that his second-in-command, Fifteen, was the last reploid. After all, Zero himself used to be a Maverick. And as far as everyone was concerned, he's completely sane. But he couldn't help thinking...could Fifteen really be the traitor he spoke of days ago?

Zero sighed, moving on to the files concerning The Reaper. According to the reports, he has to find each capsule, and absorb the Evil Energy from the bodies. Zero grumbled to himself in annoyance. It didn't say anything about the origins of The Reaper. No data on who created him, when he was created, why he was created, or how he got his powers. Though Zero assumed that his powers came from this Evil Energy.

Two days passed slowly. Nothing much happened. Echo asked Kayla out to another date. Dr. Cain turned 98 years old. A rumor surfaced that Alia liked X, but there wasn't any concrete proof about that. And then there was Delta. The gold-clad Maverick Hunter snapped his eyes open. He found himself lying on a bed, staring at the faces of his friends Echo and Fifteen. He attempted a slight smile.

"Hey...guys..."

Echo smiled. "Hey, Delta. How you feeling?"

"Like crap. And speaking of that, how long have I been out?"

"Two days." The Maverick Hunter responded.

Delta's eyes widened. "Two days? Are you serious? Two whole days?"

"Well, that's what the calendar says."

"So...anything new happen?"

Fifteen spoke up. "No. You missed Dr. Cain's birthday, a rumor that the new navigator likes Commander X, and Echo asked out Kayla again, but nah, nothing significant."

Delta chuckled as he saw Echo glaring at Fifteen in embarrassment. Fifteen laughed when Echo elbowed her. Delta slowly sat up, groaning slightly. The two hunters helped their friend up.

"You feeling any better?" Fifteen asked almost innocently.

Delta nodded. "Yeah...I guess I do. So what's up with the others?"

"Killian got a new visor. Solara's helmet was damaged, though it was later repaired. I didn't need any medical attention, neither did Commander Zero. Echo, on the other hand, took a good beating, but he made it."

They didn't talk much more after that. Delta took out a Speed Chaser, thinking a ride across town would clear his head, and fully wake him up. The air smashing in Delta's face gave him the adrenaline he needed. After he had Douglas construct another buster shot for him, Delta then began training by himself again. He forgot how good he was at the saber and buster. He even decided to have the threat level set at Level 7. It was challenging, but it wasn't totally difficult, which surprised him.

Things were still awkward with Solara and Delta. Killian seemed less of a jackass. Fifteen, Zero, and Echo seemed the same. Delta now found himself staring at the window, locked in his room. He didn't know why. He didn't seem depressed or anything, so why does he do it? It couldn't be simply because there was nothing better to do, was it?

Maybe it was. Delta then brought his head up, as if a shock wave knocked it up. He heard...breathing. The Maverick Hunter looked back, but no one else was there. Then he heard something call his name.

_Delta..._

Delta instantly recognized the voice as The Reaper's voice. His mechanical heart started to pound. W-What did he want now? Delta tried to compose himself.

_Maximilian has sent several Mavericks to the Central Highway. He has also reprogrammed Battle Mechaniloids to destroy the area. Therefore, your commander will sent both the Special 0 Unit and the 17th Elite Unit to deal with it._

Delta grunted, holding each side of his head. He spoke, thinking The Reaper could hear him. "How do you know this? And why are you trying to help me?"

_It's hard not to notice when he talks to himself in his room with me right next to him. And I'm not helping you. I just want you ready for the battle, Delta..._

"Please, just tell me. H-How do you know who I am?"

_Your pleas do not affect me. I could care less for them. When the time is right, I will tell you why I know you, and your unit._

"I don't understand..."

But there was no voice. No response. The Reaper was gone again. Delta laid down on his bed, remembering what The Reaper had told him. Then, as if on que, X's voice was heard over the intercom.

"**ALL MAVERICK HUNTERS OF THE 17****th**** ELITE UNIT AND THE SPECIAL 0 UNIT PLEASE IMMEDIATELY REPORT TO THE BRIEFING ROOM. WE HAVE A CODE RED MAVERICK ALERT.**"

Delta stood up, and started running for the briefing room.


	10. Back in the Game

Redemption

Chapter 10: Back in the Game

**My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

Everyone knew the tale of the betrayal of Sigma and the downfall of the Maverick Hunters. It all began when X was on a patrol mission, taking out several mavericks along the way. Then, in his way, was a former Maverick Hunter named Vile, using a Ride Armor. It all began on the Central Highway.

The 17th Elite Unit consisted of 6 reploids, plus Commander X. Every time Sigma rose again, he took a portion of the Maverick Hunters with him. Launch Octopus, Chill Penguin, Storm Eagle, Wheel Gator, Blast Hornet, and just recently, Web Spider and Magma Dragoon. By now, the number of Maverick Hunters were decreasing faster and faster. During the beginning of the X-Hunter Incident, there was another hunter in the 17th Elite Unit. Not much people remembered his real name, but his skills on the Speed Chaser, and his green armor, earned him the nickname "The Green Biker Dude." However, he was killed while protecting Commander X from a barrage of plasma beams.

One hunter in the 17th Elite Unit was a reploid named Erik. He had crimson red armor, with some body parts having a significantly darker shade of red, such as his shoulder guards. His eyes were green. His helmet was blood red, and his energy crystal was a dim, green diamond. His personality was a perfect mixture of serious and humorous.

Another hunter was a reploid named Shepherd. He didn't say a single word during the briefing. He had indigo armor, and he was one of the few Maverick Hunters who didn't have shoulder guards. The shoulders themselves were just white. His arms and legs were pitch-black, though his hands and feet were white. His hair was the same color as his arms and legs, and his eyes were a shade of brown.

Delta found Trance to be an interesting reploid. He didn't seem to care about anything, except the thrill of fighting. He was tall, had tan armor, and his body had lines all over it, which all resembled his exoskeleton. Trance's best friend, Titanium, had his entire body armor made up of...well, titanium. He had a buzz cut, as well as gray eyes. Titanium also happened to be in the 17th Elite Unit.

Titanium, in turn, had a younger brother named Iron, who was obviously made up of iron. Iron's body armor was colored bronze. He had pale green eyes. Unlike his older brother, he actually had a helmet, and his energy crystal was in the form of a red sphere. The last hunter, Theta, had a dark green and gray color scheme on his body armor. His hair was slightly spiky, and was a very light shade of brown.

Zero stood behind X, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. X stood in front of a giant computer screen as he spoke up.

"Mavericks are attacking the Central Highway. Somehow, they've even reprogrammed several Mechaniloids. They are not to be underestimated, but you all know the drill. Remember, civilians come first, then the Mavericks."

Delta nodded, while Trance rolled his eyes. Zero spoke up. "Alright. What are we waiting for? Let's move, people!"

_Words to live by, _Delta thought. As the two units teleported to the Central Highway, Zero chuckled to himself, before turning to X. "Ah, the nostalgia's getting to me, X."

X only shrugged, as he activated his X-Buster. "Okay. Let's move."

Solara was surprised by the lack of Mavericks in the area at the moment. Delta guessed they were hiding, waiting. Echo assumed that all they needed to do was venture a little further and they'd find the Mavericks. Killian...oh, that's right. He's on vacation. Lucky bastard. Delta rolled his eyes.

Trance, Titanium, and Iron stood by each other, watching each others' backs. Shepherd narrowed his eyes, looking around. Erik kept his cool, sighing. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a loud thud was heard, and the group almost lost balance. Well, Solara fell down, but Fifteen helped her up. Everyone looked back, and saw the Mechaniloid look down at them.

The Mechaniloid's left hand took the form of an automatic plasma shooter. It's right hand took the form of a rocket launcher. It stood 16 feet in terms of height. Zero gasped in surprise, while X grunted.

"Everyone, spread out!" X yelled out.

X and Zero stood where they were, in front of the Mechaniloid. Delta and Solara ran over to the left side, while Fifteen and Echo ran to the right. Erik and Iron ran behind the giant Mechaniloid, shooting at it to divert it's attention. Trance backed away, focusing his cannon at the Mechaniloid. He then shot a rocket at the machine, then gasped in shock when he saw that all it did was slightly scratch it.

Shepherd gritted his teeth, taking his chances. He climbed up the Mechaniloid while Titanium kept shooting energy pellets at the Mechaniloid's head, though he knew his shots were only bouncing off. Delta jumped onto the Mechaniloid's arm, slashing at it with his saber.

"Damn...it's too well armored. It's gotta have a weak point somewhere!" Delta grumbled.

Iron grunted. "Well, if it does have a weak spot, the back doesn't seem to be it."

Suddenly, the Mechaniloid turned to Erik and Iron's direction, it's gleaming, green eyes staring at the two Maverick Hunters, who backed away in fear. Shepherd activated his buster, having reached the Mechaniloid's head. He hung onto the armor, pointing his buster at the back of the soulless machine's head, and shot one energy pellet.

The Mechaniloid growled, a small dent in it's head. Zero's eyes widened. "Well, well! It's weak spot is it's head!"

Trance sighed in annoyance. "Why is it that the most obvious places are always the least likely for me?"

Delta jumped up in the air, hoping to slice the Mechaniloid's head off with his saber, though his body was caught in mid-air. It was trying to crush him, but Delta yelled, refusing to be crushed. He clutched his saber tightly, and sliced it's hand. The sheer force of the slice cut half of the Mechaniloid's hand off. Delta cut the wires that connected the hand to the body, and the hand fell off of the Mechaniloid, with Delta safely intact.

Trance charged his cannon again, aiming it at the Mech's head. He gritted his teeth, then fired. Shepherd jumped off at the last possible moment, safely landing on his feet. A large groaning sound was heard, and the Mechaniloid's body fell to the side, flying off of the Central Highway. X crossed his arms, frowning. "That seemed...too easy."

Zero turned to X. "Everything's always too easy. Especially for high-ranked Maverick Hunters like us."

"I guess you're right."

"Aren't I always, X?"

"Point taken."

The Maverick Hunters continued their way across the Central Highway, until all of a sudden, several drones appeared out of nowhere and started firing. Solara took cover behind a debris, shooting one in the head. They were dirty orange in color, and the dot on their eyes were red.

"They look like drones, yet they look different than the training drones."

X grunted, taking cover beside Solara. "These new drones were supposed to replace our current training drones about two weeks from now. The drones were created by HAYATOM Inc., which is the same company that helped create my voice generator. HAYATOM is a big corporation. These drones are supposed to be difficult to hack!"

Trance grinned. "Who cares? They look like fun!"

Theta sighed. "Great. Trance is off his meds again."

Fifteen chuckled. "Are you implying that he's not always like this?"

Theta shrugged. "I don't fucking know anymore. Trance is unbalanced."

"I heard that!"

"Right. I'll make a mental note that you'll kill me soon."

"Too busy having fun with these drones!" Trance grinned again, shooting a rocket out of his cannon at the drones. The bodies of 5 drones flew into the air like rag dolls.

Zero frowned. The drones were too well-armed for him to take out up close and personally with his saber. There were too much in quantity anyway. Zero didn't cherish his Z-Buster as much as his Z-Saber, but it was still handy when needed. The red-clad Maverick Hunter activated his Z-Buster, shooting at several drones.

X shot one Maverick with a fully-charged shot, and the poor robot's body was completely eradicated. Delta was slightly confused. He remembered The Reaper telling him back at the HQ that Maximilian was going to send Mavericks to the area, not reprogram drones. Well, he was right about the Mechaniloid part though.

Echo took cover behind some debris. Since he had no ranged weapons, he was going to have to sit this one out. Maybe he should've asked Douglas for a Buster Shot, since there wasn't a buster built into his arm. Theta pulled out his Buster Shot, shooting at several drones. But he let his guard down, and one of the Mavericks managed to shoot him in the shoulder. Theta grunted in pain, falling back down behind the debris he was hiding behind.

Trance never did pay attention to his surroundings. He never paid attention to who was shooting at him. His guard was always down, so it wasn't much of a surprise when an energy beam hit his chest, knocking him down a bit. The only problem was that he wasn't hiding. He was standing out in the open. And Trance always thought that taking cover was for cowards, so he refused to back down. He stood up as fast as his body would let him, gritting his teeth in a display of pain.

Solara took a deep breath, and stood up from the debris. She aimed her buster at the Mavericks, shooting each shot. Most of them hit the head, while some other shots were slightly miscalculated. Some hit the chest, and other pellets missed entirely. X yelled out a command.

"We need to press forward! Shoot some more, now!"

Delta nodded. "Will do, Commander X."

The gold-clad Maverick Hunter charged his Buster Shot, shooting at a drone. However, Titanium was the first to notice that they weren't pushing forward. The Mavericks were. With every passing second, they were getting closer. He activated his T-Buster, trying to shoot as many drones as possible. One plasma beam hit his chest, but he didn't really acknowledge the pain. He ignored it, and simply shot some more. Iron followed his older brother, shooting some more.

Trance fired a rather large shot at the seemingly endless army of drones. Trance was so arrogant he even counted the number of bodies were sent into the air. He counted about 19 Mavericks. Theta sucked up the pain, before getting up again. He shot at some more Mavericks. Shepherd stood up, firing at about six drones in three seconds.

Then before they knew it, the Mavericks were gone. Trance was panting in exhaustion, Theta's legs were shaking, and Titanium rested against the debris. Iron took a deep breath, and Zero unequipped his Z-Buster.

X looked up, and pointed at a tall building. "Look! It's HAYATOM Industries! Let's go! There might be some more Mavericks in there, as well as hostages."

Zero nodded. "Lead the way, X."

The building was about 10 stories. After the two units handled the lobby, X turned to the team.

"Okay. Theta, you go with Solara and take care of the 1st Floor. Contact me when you're done, and I'll tell you what to do next. Trance, you go with Iron and take out the drones in the 2nd Floor. Titanium goes with Fifteen on the 3rd Floor. Erik, go with Echo on the 4th Floor. Delta goes with Shepherd to the 5th Floor. Zero, since you can perfectly take care of yourself, you take the 6th Floor. I'll be on the 7th Floor."

Delta spoke up. "What about the other floors?"

"X and I will take care of them as well. Now, let's go, people!"

Delta and Shepherd were quiet. The two took out Mavericks, and saved hostages. Delta attempted small talk occasionally, but Shepherd only ignored him. The hostages were all scientists, human and reploid. What Delta found odd though, was the fact that these weren't drones. They were completely different Mavericks. Maybe these were the Mavericks that The Reaper spoke of?

Trance and Iron easily cleared out the 2nd Floor. Well, technically, Trance did all the work, seeing as how he instantly eradicated every Maverick on sight without giving Iron a chance to take a shot. Oh, well. Iron didn't really have anything to complain about, so just sit back, relax, and watch Trance do everything, right?

Erik and Echo worked together cooperatively. They got along fine. Some of the hostages were tied. Echo would take his time untying the scientists while Erik held off the Mavericks. Erik didn't seemed bothered by the fact that these Mavericks weren't the drones from outside, but Echo was confused. Maybe the head scientist would explain it.

Fifteen and Titanium were the kind of allies that didn't talk much at all, but they worked together just fine. They didn't think negatively of the other, yet not too positively. They had neutral feelings about each other, but they were still Maverick Hunters. And they were still allies. Neither of them complained.

Theta found Solara to be a bit annoying, if not irritating. She talked too much, and Theta had seen her in action, and knew she could've been contributing a lot more if she didn't talk as much. Oh, well. Not everyone's perfect, Theta thought.

Zero really didn't have any trouble with the Mavericks on the 6th Floor. Or the 8th Floor. Or the 10th Floor. Same went for X and his own floors. After all, when Sigma first became Maverick, Zero was assigned as the temporary leader of the Maverick Hunters, and then after he died, X became the leader. Most of the other Maverick Hunters thought of them as the strongest Maverick Hunters in history, but Zero claimed that X was the better hunter. As Zero reached the 10th Floor, he rescued the head scientist.

"Thank you. Wait, aren't you Maverick Hunter Zero?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh! What an honor to meet you, sir! My name is Zeta. You probably know my brother, Theta?"

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I do. He's a good kid."

The scientist named Zeta nodded, smiling. "Yeah, he was a good brother. Anyway, do you have any questions?"

"Yeah. Outside the building, we were attacked by a bunch of your drones. Care to explain?"

Zeta raised an eyebrow. "Hmm...those Mavericks might have hacked into their systems. They spoke of scientist named Maximilian. Do you know who he is?"

The red-clad Maverick Hunter nodded. "Yeah. He's the director of Project: Alpha. A madman, and a very intelligent one at that."

"Well, then, I guess this Maximilian might have remotely hacked the drones or something. Ugh, this is just great. This means the updated drones will have to be delayed for another year. Sorry about that."

"No problem."

When the Mavericks were all gone, the two units returned to HQ. Delta smiled to himself. He was back in the game now. After typing his report, Delta laid down on his bed, closing his eyes.

If you don't know what HAYATOM Inc. is, see the intro of the first Mega Man X game, where they're scanning X's body. Pay close attention to the words, and you'll see. Anyway, reviews, anyone?


	11. Bad Timing

Redemption

Chapter 11: Bad Timing

**My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

Completely irrelevant note: Whenever I write Echo's dialogue, I imagine him with the voice of Johnny Yong Bosch. You know? The guy who played Adam Park in Power Rangers? Ichigo from Bleach? Lujon from Fullmetal Alchemist? No? Fine, let me see something more recent...let's see what else Wikipedia has to say...Bumblebee from War for Cybertron, and Zero from Marvel vs. Capcom 3. There, better?

Echo sat on a chair in front of the table. He was facing Kayla, who was wearing a dark green t-shirt and some blue jeans. The Maverick Hunter could feel his legs shaking underneath the table, and he thought he was lucky he wasn't sweating from being nervous. They were just outside a diner, eating their meals. Since reploids absolutely had to be as human as possible, even reploids had to eat. Even they could hunger. In their stomachs, they had a special fuel inside that incinerated edible items, such as meat, fruits, and other things. The things a reploid drinks, like a soda or a beer, is converted into the special fuel.

Echo had only ordered an iced tea and some turkey. Kayla ordered a water and a salad. The Maverick Hunter felt awkward, going around in his armor. Of course, the armor was removable, though they could remove it. However, Dr. Cain insisted that reploids only removed it during intimate moments. Most reploids thought that rule was redundant, seeing as how reploids couldn't even reproduce anyway. Of course, the armor did offer a lot of protection. Even the skintight suit underneath was thick enough to act as a human's body armor.

The black-armored hunter sincerely hoped that his second date would turn out as good as his first date did. And then he hoped the third date would be best. Three times the charm, they said. Even though it wasn't actually frowned upon, some humans and reploids alike found it odd for a human to date a reploid. But still, reploids were just like humans in terms of personality.

Though they didn't physically evolve like humans did over time, their A.I. evolves over time. Echo had been active for about 12 years. However, he joined the Maverick Hunters about 5 years after he was created.

Echo suddenly looked up at Kayla. He swore he heard her say something.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

"I said, is the turkey any good?"

"Oh, sorry. I zoned out. Anyway, yeah, it's pretty good."

Kayla nodded, smiling. Echo almost melted. "Good."

"And, err...do you like your salad?"

"Yeah."

Echo nodded, unable to find something to talk about. He sighed, crossing his arms after sipping some iced tea. He wondered how much longer the date was going to be. As they finished eating, Kayla paid the bill, and they were on their way back to HQ.

Meanwhile, Zero and X were standing in the navigator chamber. According to Alia, a small group of rogue mavericks were attacking everything in their path. Another navigator pointed out that Echo just happened to be nearby. Zero crossed his arms, before activating his built-in communicator, calling his Maverick Hunter.

Echo and Kayla decided to stop on a nearby bench to rest. Maybe getting to the diner via Speed Chaser was a better idea than walking. Echo sighed, turning to Kayla. He decided for now to be his big moment.

"Hey, Kayla..."

"Yeah, Echo?" She faced Echo, and noticed how close their faces were. Echo would've kissed her, had Zero not called him. Annoyed, Echo leaned backwards, placing his finger on the side of his head.

"What is it, Commander Zero?"

"Echo, according to the navigators, a couple of Mavericks are approaching behind you. In about 2 minutes, they'll be at the diner. Do you think you can take 'em out?"

Echo rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"Good."

When Zero hung up, Echo stood up. "I'll see you back at headquarters."

"Who was that?"

"Commander Zero. He says there's a couple of Mavericks back at the diner. Get to the HQ. I'll see you when I see you."

"Okay. Take care." Then Kayla leaned towards him and kissed his cheek.

As the Maverick Hunter ran back for about 2 minutes, the sounds of screaming caught his attention. Echo ran faster, activating his wrist blades. Deciding that the element of surprise would work best, Echo used his wrist blades to climb onto the buildings nearby. As he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, he eventually saw several mavericks terrorizing civilians.

Their entire body was made up of blue armor. They all wore helmets with a red visor. They all held Buster Shots. Echo counted about 10 of them. _This should be a piece of cake, right? _Echo thought to himself.

Echo leaped off the building, planting his wrist blades into the Maverick's chest, instantly retiring him. The other Mavericks looked back in surprise, aiming their pistols at him. The Maverick Hunter rolled towards the next soldier, evading several energy pellets. Echo then launched his fist up, as if doing an uppercut, except his wrist blade was rammed into under the reploid's chin, instantly killing him as well. The other 8 soldiers then holstered their Buster Shots, before activating their beam sabers. Echo took a step back, intimidated at first, before gritting his teeth.

"C'mon, I can do this all day! I only hope I have time for 2 days."

X sighed, taking a seat in the briefing room back at the HQ. His chair was in front of a table which showed a projection of Abel City. Zero sat across from him, his feet on the table. He could see something was bothering X.

"Something wrong, X?"

"It's about Echo. Are you really sure he can take care of those Mavericks?"

"Oh, come on, X. I lead the Special 0 Unit for god's sake. I'm pretty sure he can take care of himself."

X shook his head, sighing again. Zero then raised an eyebrow.

"Y'know, if you despise fighting so much, why do you do it? You know that I'm as good as you, X."

X then looked up at his best friend. He didn't know what it was, but ever since the Repliforce Incident, Zero seemed more...robotic. Or monotone. According to his reports, it was about Iris. At first, the blue Maverick Hunter was unsure of what had become of his best friend, but now, X tried to accept the fact that Zero's subtle, cocky spirit never really returned from Final Weapon. As if it died along with Colonel, General, and Iris. X didn't know Iris that well, but he knew her well enough to know that she was a very nice girl.

Zero cleared his throat. "I said, if you despise fighting so much, why do you do it?"

X opened his mouth to speak. "Remember what we used to say? For the Endless Fight..." He began.

"...and for the Everlasting Peace." Zero finished, nodding. "Yeah, I remember that."

"Even in the peaceful era that might soon come, there will still be fighting. Our world is never without evil. It's like the old Chinese "yin and yang" system."

Zero chuckled. "You never were one to believe in fairy tales, X."

"I wish I could. I wish peace would be achieved faster. I just want to know it'll actually come soon..."

Meanwhile, Echo managed to kill 2 other Mavericks with fair ease. The others were a bit more challenging though. The Maverick Hunter grunted, leaning backwards in order to dodge a slash. Echo tried to counter by slicing his opponent's arm off, but the enemy blocked the attack. The Maverick then lunged his saber forward, hoping to stab Echo. This was a grave mistake. Quite literally. Echo jumped into the air, landing right behind the Maverick, before stabbing him and slicing his arm off.

The Maverick Hunter then crouched, dodging another hostile slash. Echo sweeped the enemy, knocking him into the ground. Echo then followed up with a stab to the face, oil mildly spilling out. As Echo jumped up, he blocked every single swing from one of the Maverick's saber slashes. However, Echo guessed he might have gotten a little too cocky, and let his guard down. The enemy performed a roundhouse kick, sending Echo to the ground. Growling to himself for not being too careful, Echo stumbled upwards, jumping back to avoid another slash. Before he knew it, he was cornered by two Mavericks. One in front of him, another behind him.

_Well, it's just like training! _Echo thought, before jumping in the air. He landed behind the Maverick who was previously in front of him, before kicking his head. The soldier fell down to the ground, and Echo slammed his foot onto the reploid's head.

The other enemy ran towards the professional Maverick Hunter, who jumped back, avoiding a slash. Echo then jumped again, air-dashing into the enemy. A slash sound, and then in a flash, Echo landed right behind the Maverick, who's head fell down, then the body. Douglas had recently upgraded the Shadow Foot Part for Echo so that it could also work in mid-air, and his weapons could still work. Echo liked the idea. It made him feel like a ninja. Or a samurai, whatever.

As the reploid behind Echo stood up, Echo dashed through his enemy, and there were two stab wounds on the Maverick's chest. He fell down, instantly dead before he got a chance to think of an attack. Echo then noticed two soldiers running at him from each side. They were big, and were yelling. Echo assumed they were the dumb brutes, and he assumed correctly. All he had to do stick out his arms, and let nature do the rest. The brutes, being so tall, didn't notice the small wrist blades, until they were stabbed. As they fell down, Echo couldn't help but chuckle to himself. _How stupid can you people be?_

The next Maverick seemed to be armed with his bare fists. _This should be easy..._

Echo was surprised to find that this reploid was challenging, but not impossible. This one soldier ran with incredible speed, which caught the Maverick Hunter off guard. Echo didn't have enough time to dodge his opponent's punch, and he paid the price for it. Echo stumbled backwards, careful not to lose his balance. He wasn't disorientated, so it was still easy to beware of the enemy. Ready for the hostile reploid, Echo took a stance. The Maverick then sprinted towards Echo, who again, let his guard down when the enemy jumped into the air, landing behind Echo.

The Maverick Hunter was met with a kick to the face. However, the kick wasn't strong enough to knock him down. As a result, Echo only stumbled back again. He saw the Maverick running towards him, but he was prepared for real. The Maverick performed a sidekick, but Echo stepped back, before slicing the Maverick's foot off. And then there was only one left.

Except this one Maverick was different. He didn't wear blue armor like all the rest. He wore black armor. Echo then widened his eyes, as he realized that this reploid was the same model as those "ninja" mavericks who attacked the Maverick Hunter HQ and captured Delta. Echo was slightly surprised when he found out that this Maverick actually wanted to talk.

"Well, well, well. It seems you're a lot tougher than Maximilian tells me. They told me Delta was gonna be here, but I got you. Who are you, anyway?"

"Name's Echo, and who might you be, Maverick scumbag?"

"They call me Ares. I am the first "Ninja" reploid created by Lord Maximilian. I am also the strongest."

Echo rolled his eyes. "Look, I beat two of you Shinobi wannabes back at the base. I don't think I need to fight another one..."

"You're more arrogant than you look. I just told you, I'm the strongest ninja reploid. You will not stop me."

"I'd like to see you try." Echo sincerely wished he hadn't said that, because the Maverick named Ares suddenly teleported right in front of Echo, punching him in the stomach. The force of the punch knocked Echo into the nearest building. The Maverick Hunter coughed, before jumping out of the hole his body was stuck in.

"Well, I was caught off guard..."

"That's what they all say."

"You're a douchebag..."

Echo gritted his teeth, preparing for Ares' next attack. Echo was one of those people who could instantly block an attack once he was hit by it. He could easily predict that when someone hits him with one attack, they'd use the same attack again, but Echo would've been ready. And he was.

As Ares teleported, the Maverick Hunter instantly lunged his arm forward, though Ares never appeared in front of him.

"Hey, I'm up here..."

Echo turned his head up, seeing Ares hanging onto the wall via kunai knives. However, before he could possibly react, Ares dropped down, kicking Echo in the face, who was knocked back. Ares then instantly followed up with a sidekick, which then knocked Echo onto the ground. If there was anything Echo knew, it was that when you were knocked down, your enemy would instantly follow up with a finisher, so you had to move. And Echo did just that. He heard a clanking sound, then he saw a shuriken at where his head was just at a few seconds ago.

Echo instantly shot his body up, hoping he could actually defeat Ares, if not terminate him. The ninja then pulled out a beam saber, preparing to fight Echo. Ares started with a vertical blow, which Echo blocked with relative ease. Ares then instantly teleported behind Echo, slashing his back. Groaning in pain, Echo swung his arm around, hoping to hit the ninja with his wrist blade, only to find nothing.

Widening his eyes, Echo instantly swung his other arm, and realized his wrist blade was locked with Ares' beam saber. The Maverick broke away from Echo's wrist blade, swinging his beam saber at thin air, hoping to intimidate Echo.

Echo only scoffed, sucking up the pain in his back. However, before Ares could swing his beam saber at Echo, a loud bang was heard, and Echo saw a small energy ball fly into Ares, who screamed when it hit his chest. Echo guessed it was EMP, and as the energy ball disrupted, Echo look back, only to see no one. Looking back at Ares, there was smoke coming out of his body.

"I lost...but I'm not defeated. I must retreat for now. Whoever your friend is, he's given you your last victory. Enjoy it while it lasts, Maverick Hunter Echo..." Before Echo could stop Ares from retreating, the ninja reploid teleported to an unknown destination. Deciding he was too damaged to go after him, Echo called it a day and returned back to base.

Hooray for plot twists and new characters! Aren't you excited? N-No? Screw you, guys! Can I have my review now?


	12. Discovery

Redemption

Chapter 12: Discovery

**My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

"Are you telling me that you were fighting this one Maverick Hunter, and yet, a random burst of EMP came flying out of nowhere, and hit you?"

Maximilian stared at Ares in disapproval. He narrowed his eyes, leaning against a glass wall. He crossed his arms, frowning. Ares knelt in front of him, facing the ground in shame.

"Yes, Lord Maximilian."

The scientist snorted. "Remove yourself from my sights, piece of trash."

Ares sighed. "Y-Yes, my lord. I apologize for my foolishness." And then the ninja disappeared. As Maximilian turned around, he saw The Reaper in the reflection from the glass.

"What is it, Reaper?"

"It seems that I am unable to perform the assignment."

Maximilian faced The Reaper. It seemed that his plans were now falling apart one by one. And now, even his best warriors, Ares and The Reaper, proved incompetent, being unable to perform simple tasks. Fools! The scientist only hoped that his ambitions would at least come true. They used to say there were two kinds of people. Thinkers and doers. Maximilian was one of a kind. He was both a thinker and doer. All he needed were lackeys, minions, and a plan.

"You were able to do it a few nights ago. Why can't you do it now, fool?"

"It seems that when you tortured Delta, the chip shattered. This is your own fault, old man."

Maximilian growled. He didn't know the chip was so fragile. This was his own undoing. No matter. He was...is a brilliant scientist able to think of something else. Maximilian ignored the taunt. Age really didn't matter to a reploid. Reploids aren't really older than others physically. In fact, Maximilian actually guessed that The Reaper may actually be the older reploid in terms of A.I. After all, Maximilian was actually only about 20 years old.

"Very well. The show must go on, as they say. Is that all?"

"Yes, Lord Maximilian."

"Good. Have a pleasant evening then..."

The Reaper nodded, before disappearing in the shadows. All he needed was to get the Evil Energy, betray Maximilian, and rule all sentient life. Power is the ultimate goal. Striving for anything else is foolishness of the highest order...

Commander Zero hated the night. But it wasn't like a child's fear of the dark. The night reminded Zero of space. Of Final Weapon. Of Iris. Zero tried to hold back the tears, but he felt one run down his cheek. As he wiped it, he looked down at his papers, careful not to let his tears touch them. He whispered a few words to himself, as if Iris was there, listening to him.

"I'm sorry, Iris...I'm so sorry. Even now...I'm lost. I don't know what's worth fighting for anymore..."

The night also tormented Zero because it reminded him that he needed to sleep. And half of the time he slept, he'd get nightmares. All of them concerning an old man barking orders at him. It seemed to have begun at the beginning of the...Repliforce Incident...no, don't think of Iris. Don't think of Iris!

Every time he thought of Iris, he broke down mentally. He'd break into tears. Zero stood up, closing his eyes, trying to shut out the memories. He closed them tightly. But the memories wouldn't leave him. Growling in a fit of rage, Zero swept his hands across the desk, the papers flying off. He stumbled towards the corner of his room, sitting in front of it, crossing his arms, as if hugging himself. No one was ever there to comfort himself. On the outside, everyone thought of Zero as a cold, heartless killer ever since he returned from Final Weapon.

But that wasn't it at all. Zero tried to pretend that he was all right. But he wasn't. He simply couldn't forget Iris, and the wonderful future they could've had together. He missed her dearly. But he knew that eventually, he'd have to let go of her...but not right now. Right now, he just needed some more time. That was all.

"Another one of those nights, huh?"

"Yeah." Delta and Fifteen laid down on the grass outside the Maverick Hunter HQ. Same place. Same time. 12:40 A.M. Another wasted, sleepless night. Fifteen sighed. She didn't know why, but she suddenly decided to rest her head on Delta's shoulder. What Delta found odd was the fact that he wasn't bothered by Fifteen's head like last time. He was actually...comforted. And yet, he cherished Fifteen.

He knew how corny the term "love at first sight" was, but he had never met a female like Fifteen before. Strong, independent, but at the same time, not a complete bitch. She certainly was attractive, at least, Delta thought so. He was taken aback by how fun Fifteen was, since she was the second-in-command. He...loved her.

Fifteen sighed as she snuggled against Delta. He reminded her of someone she used to love. She was attracted to him, but this was a bit fast. After all, they had only known each other for what, a week now? But she couldn't help it. She couldn't help feeling attracted to Delta. She couldn't deny the fact that she loved him.

Delta spoke up, asking a random question. "Hey, Fifteen...have you ever had someone you ever seriously...cared about?"

Fifteen was slightly surprised by this question. No one ever really bothered asking a question like that, but she still answered. "Before you joined, there was another reploid in the Special 0 Unit. His name was Upsilon. He's a good guy. He had a brother, Epsilon. Upsilon himself was a good fighter, and we loved each other. I lost my virginity to him. However, one day, during a mission, he was seriously injured. It cost him his legs, and he resigned. I never saw him ever since."

"I'm...sorry to hear that."

"It's alright. It's been 2 years since he's left. I moved on. And what about you, Delta? Have you ever loved anyone before?" Fifteen asked. Delta's eyes widened, before whispering the answer to the female reploid.

"N-No...I've never been in a serious relationship."

"Oh, yeah?" Fifteen leaned towards Delta, who only blinked.

Delta could only guess what she was about to do. He wanted to kiss her, and yet, he didn't want to. He thought that this love thing was probably going a bit too fast. But then, Delta remembered Solara's confession, and remembered how that went. Hell, if he loved Fifteen, and if Fifteen loved her, what was wrong with it?

Fifteen was making a bold decision. What she was about to do would either shatter their friendship, or make it stronger. She made it apparent she liked him. Delta made it apparent he liked her. So what was she waiting for? Would the kiss really be worth it? She sincerely hoped so.

Delta faced Fifteen, leaning forward until their foreheads were touching. He saw a slight blush on her face as he stroked her cheek without thinking about it. He then gently placed his hand on her cheek, and then their lips met.

The gold-clad Maverick Hunter was relieved when Fifteen embraced the kiss, rather than pulling away from it. Their tongues danced together, producing a hot, passionate kiss. Eventually, Fifteen broke the kiss, a look of slight surprise on her face. Delta managed a small smile. He couldn't help but blush as well.

"So...what happens now, Fifteen?" Delta put on a neutral expression as he faced his new lover. He stroked her hair gently, as if it were a fragile object.

The female reploid shrugged. "You tell me." Then she sighed to herself. She wasn't all that tired. And neither was Delta.

"Are we...going steady now or something?" The gold-clad Maverick Hunter was reluctant to ask this, thinking it would embarrass him.

"If we won't be dating, the kiss was redundant." Fifteen answered bluntly.

"I don't know about you, but that kiss was nice in my opinion." Delta attempted to joke. And well, the joke worked for Fifteen.

Fifteen laughed. "You think we should...go inside?"

"Are you thinking of what I'm thinking?"

"If you're thinking of potato chips, then yes."

It was Delta's turn to laugh this time. "Come on, now! Don't tease me like that!"

"Alright, alright. Your room or my room?"

"Since you don't really care, I guess we'll do it in my room."

"Sounds good to me." The two lovers stood up, wiping grass off of their armor. They both hesitantly held hands as they walked inside.

I'm actually disappointed in the length of this chapter. I was hoping this would reach a minimum of at least five pages. Oh, well. If you haven't already guessed, Chapter 13 will be for the most part, a lemon chapter. I just hope it's not as short as this chapter, though. Oh, and by the way, REVIEWS?


	13. When Life Gives You Lemons

Redemption

Chapter 13: When Life Gives You Lemons…

**My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.  
>WARNING: LEMON. Don't read if it's not your thing. But you don't care, do you?<strong>

Fifteen shoved her lover onto his bed, a naughty smirk on her face. She leaned on top of Delta, sensually licking his ear. Delta's hands explored Fifteen's body, rubbing the back of her smooth armor. His finger pressed on a concealed button on the female reploid's armor, and a hissing sound was heard. Fifteen leaned upwards, casually tossing her upper armor onto the ground.

"You want to play catcher, big boy?" Fifteen grinned.

"You know it." Delta responded.

The blonde female gingerly stepped off of the bed, pressing her fingers on the armor covering her legs. Another hissing sound was heard, and Fifteen stepped out of them, now wearing nothing more than her skintight bodysuit. Delta did nothing but lay down, watching her. She smiled, nearly tossing her body on top of Delta, who briefly yelled in surprise.

Their lips met, emitting a strong and sensual kiss. Fifteen moaned, begging for more from Delta's tongue. The gold-clad Maverick Hunter ran his hand down his girlfriend's back, until it met Fifteen's buttocks. She brought her head up, breaking the kiss. With a naughty smile on her face, she squeezed her hands under Delta's back, pressing the concealed button which loosened his armor, making him able to remove it. Delta brought his upper torso up, and Fifteen awkwardly climbed off of him, sitting on the edge of the bed while Delta removed his armor. He got up, before doing the same for the armor on his legs, and grinning at Fifteen.

"So…what are we waiting for?"

"Those are the magic words, sweetie."

Fifteen nearly tackled Delta down onto the bed, quite literally slamming her lips into his. After a small while of kissing, Fifteen brought up her head, breaking the kiss again.

"Oh, is that a Buster Shot in your pants, or are you just glad to see me?"

"Why don't you go ahead and find out?"

Delta brought his hands onto Fifteen's bodysuit, his hands seeking the zipper. As he found it, he pulled it down, and Fifteen leaned upwards again, gingerly taking off her suit. Delta did the same, and once he did, they were both completely naked.

The female reploid leaned upwards, letting Delta lick the nipples on her medium breasts. She moaned in pleasure, feeling her lover's warm tongue. The hunter then slowly started to suck on the breasts, and her moans slowly became louder.

Fifteen shifted her body forward, feeling Delta's erect member in front of her entrance. The female gasped in surprise and pleasure as she felt it go inside her. She moaned, and Delta thrust faster and faster until her gasps turned slightly louder moans. She felt her orgasm build up, and eventually, she came. Fifteen wasn't one to make loud noises. She was quiet like that. Her white juices leaked through Delta's tip. The female reploid took a deep breath.

"Why do you make me feel so good?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

Fifteen replied by gingerly wiping the cum off of Delta's erect member, before licking it. Delta moaned slightly. His moans got louder when Fifteen started to suck it. However, to Delta's dismay, Fifteen stopped. But Delta's feeling of dismay was replaced by pleasure when Fifteen started to stroke it. Fifteen increased the speed of her hands until Delta came as well. The white liquid flew into Fifteen's face, who briefly yelled in surprise.

The female reploid wiped the cum off of her face with her bare hands, before leaning towards Delta again. Their tongues met, and Fifteen was pulled into a rough, yet passionate kiss. Her hands explored Delta's synthetic flesh. A reploid's flesh was just like a human's flesh.

Her hands rubbed on his chest, then moved her left hand down to Delta's cock, which she began to stroke once more. Delta slightly moaned, louder and louder, until he could feel the orgasm build up inside. Much to Delta's pleasure, Fifteen stroked it faster and faster until he came again. Delta took a deep breath, relaxing himself when Fifteen stopped.

But the female reploid wasn't finished. She then shifted her head so that she was facing Delta's erect dick, licking the cum on it. After she licked it clean, she faced Delta again, who gingerly shifted his body so that now he was lying on top of Fifteen, who now had her back to the bed. The gold-clad Maverick Hunter licked Fifteen's lips, as if asking permission for an entrance.

She replied by lifting up her head, and their lips met yet again. This time, Delta broke the kiss, before running his tongue across Fifteen's neck. The female moaned softly. Delta ran his tongue down to her breasts, where he briefly sucked on her nipples. After he was done, Delta then ran his tongue down to her stomach, and then licked her wet pussy. Fifteen started to moan louder, before Delta inserted his finger into it.

Delta then began fingering the female reploid, much to her pleasure. She gasped, moaning, begging for more. Delta complied by fingering her even faster. And then, as Delta expected, she climaxed in Delta's face. The gold-clad Maverick Hunter wiped off the seed with his arm, blinking twice.

The two lovers then leaned upwards, kneeling on the bed. Fifteen placed her head lovingly on Delta's shoulder, briefly licking his neck, before kissing it. Then she kissed his shoulder, then his arm. She brought her head up to Delta's ear, whispering a flirty remark. "My turn again..."

Fifteen wrapped her arms around Delta's neck, thrusting him to the side. In surprise, Delta fell down onto the bed, with his lover lying on top of him. They kissed again, but this kiss was much longer. Their tongues danced together, their hands were exploring their bodies, and they both closed their eyes, pretending they were in heaven. When Delta eventually broke the kiss, he whispered a kind, yet simple, statement in Fifteen's ear.

"I love you..."

"I know you do."

After they cleaned up and put their armor back on, they slept together. While Delta was sleeping, he pondered on what was the point of having sexual intercourse if reploids couldn't even reproduce? Was he thinking too much into this? Nah, probably not. Regardless, the gold-clad Maverick Hunter shifted his thoughts to Fifteen, who he thought he was going too fast with.

_I think I should avoid her for a small while...it seems awkward dating someone who I've only known for just about a week. I just hope I don't go overboard._

Maximilian was sitting at a desk with his assistant, Decker. Maximilian was drinking coffee, while Decker just had water. The light was slightly too bright for Maximilian's taste, but no one else seemed to mind. They had been discussing Project: Alpha, Delta, The Reaper, Ares, and other important topics.

"How long do you think Delta has until the persona fully takes over, Decker?"

Decker had blond hair, indigo armor, and liked to wear a lab coat most of the time, as if he liked telling people he was a scientist with pride.

"My estimates suggest that the Maverick Hunter has about a month until it fully consumes him. I'm surprised that someone who has been in direct contact with The Reaper could repress the persona that long. Even their commander, Maverick Hunter Zero, seems unaffected."

"Zero will never be affected by the persona. He seems...different, than the other reploids. His power fascinates me. If you have time, send a mercenary or ninja reploid to spy on him."

"Speaking of mercenaries, when will Magnus act?"

"Tomorrow." He replied simply.

"And once you're ready, are you sure you'll be able to overthrow The Reaper?"

"He is already defeated. His own arrogance killed him. No matter how much Evil Energy he may possess, we still have those capsules, not to mention he hasn't absorbed the Evil Energy from Ten, Nine, Eight, or anyone before them."

"So he's able to find one capsule per year?"

"Yes. They're that well hidden."

"My, my, Maximilian. You've really outdone yourself." Decker said unenthusiastically.

Maximilian frowned at his assistant. "Hmm, you seem tired. I haven't really been wearing you out that much, have I?"

Decker shook his head slowly. "No. I just choose not to sleep. The work is far too important for something like sleep to get in the way."

"Very well. Press forward then..."

I DID GOOD? :D


	14. Effect

Redemption

Chapter 14: Effect

**My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

Author's Note: Somehow, overnight, I suddenly lost motivation to write. I get the feeling no one really reads this, so what's the point?

* * *

><p>Delta woke up to find Fifteen snuggled up against him. He slowly leaned up, careful not to wake her up. He silently yawned, then stood up quietly. He briefly stretched, before blinking when he heard Fifteen yawn. He turned around, seeing the blond wipe her eyes.<p>

"Ugh...good morning?" Fifteen sighed.

Delta nodded. "And good morning to you too."

"You didn't have any interesting dreams last night, did you?"

The gold-clad Maverick Hunter shook his head. "Nope."

"Hmm, neither did I. Maybe from the wonderful night we had." Fifteen briefly put on a sweet smile, before standing up, yawning again.

Delta nodded, putting a smile of his own. "Well, I...have to report to Commander Zero."

The gold-clad Maverick Hunter traveled to the briefing room, where Zero and X liked to spend most of their time in when they weren't on missions. However, before Delta could reach the door, his head started to ache badly.

"Argh...my head..."

Delta leaned against a wall, pressing his palm against his forehead, as if it would've helped. It didn't. The instant he heard Maximilian's voice, Delta panicked.

_Hmm...the persona is taking over..._

Was he going insane? First, he was hearing The Reaper's voice, and now, he's hearing Maximilian's voice? When was all this going to end? Delta let out a yell that was louder than he expected as he somehow punched a small hole in the wall. Though Delta didn't know this at the time, the walls were made up of reinforced steel. Only something as strong as Zero's saber could even scratch it.

Delta knelt to the ground, clutching his head with both of his hands. He heard an extremely high screech in his head. He screamed again in agony.

What Delta didn't know at the time that his screams attracted a lot of attention. Fellow Maverick Hunters gathered around him. Wondering what all the commotion was, X and Zero exited the briefing room to see. His entire unit was there. Same with the 17th Elite Unit. But Delta didn't notice them at first. Zero walked through the crowd, staring at Delta, who felt his power cells draining by the second. And then, he collapsed. Zero knelt in front of Delta, and realized that his pupils were blank at the moment.

"What the hell...?"

Zero picked up Delta's body, with X right behind him. The blue-clad Maverick Hunter then faced the two units, shaking his head. He sighed, and in the sudden quiet, every single hunter heard his sigh.

"Alright. Nothing more to see here..."

Delta woke up, grumbling in annoyance to find out he was once again, in a medical room. This was the third time now. First was when Zero slashed his eye. Second was after Maximilian tortured him. And now this. At this rate, by the end of the month, he'll have probably ended up in the infirmary about 15 times.

He instantly turned his head to the side, to see Fifteen and Zero sitting there. Delta didn't realize at first that Fifteen was holding his hand. Zero frowned, holding what seemed to be a data pad.

"Well, now. It seems you're in the infirmary. Again."

Delta rolled his eyes at his commander. "So it seems..." He replied bluntly.

The gold-clad hunter still felt a small headache, but other than that, he felt somewhat fine. Fifteen sighed in relief, while Commander Zero stood up. He turned to his second-in-command.

"Fifteen, I need a word with Delta in private. Is that alright?"

The white-clad female nodded, before leaving. Zero shook his head as he turned to Delta.

"First off, no hard feelings, right? First impressions may be everything so...yeah. It's awkward talking to you and having to look at that scar of yours."

"Mmhmm. They say that no one loves their boss." Delta responded.

Zero crossed his arms. "Secondly, Lifesaver found a corrupted file in your control chip, but when he deleted it, it just..."

Delta's commander looked at the data pad, as if making sure he was reading the data correctly.

"The file just came back. Lifesaver had been trying different methods to get it out of your file, because it seems the corrupted file contains a virus."

"...Like the Maverick Virus?"

"Probably not. If it were, then you'd already be classified as a Maverick. Whatever this file is, it suddenly chose now to really hurt you. Tell me, what did you do today, or possibly yesterday?"

"What would happen if I told you that I'm dating Fifteen now?"

"Then that might be a small lead that might tell us something. Maybe this file reacts to...happy emotions." Zero winced slightly when Delta said the word, "dating," trying to push away thoughts of Iris as best as he could.

"Maybe...maybe not."

The commander crossed his arms, frowning. "Are you able to move?"

"Yeah...I feel fine..."

The red-clad Maverick Hunter nodded. "Okay. See me in the briefing room when you're ready."

Shortly after Commander Zero left, Delta got up, sighing. Personally, he was getting tired of always waking up in the damned infirmary. And now, he'd probably have to get used to everyone staring at him. Usually, when that happened, he'd have to stare back at them so that they'd look away, but that's just awkward, anyway.

As the gold-clad reploid exited his room, a Lifesaver unit looked up at him. "Are you sure you can handle yourself right now? The file is still in your systems."

Delta nodded. "Yes. I'll be fine for now."

"Are you positive?"

"Affirmative." Delta then exited the infirmary, going towards the briefing room. He noticed the hole from when he had punched the wall earlier, and shuddered. As he entered the briefing chamber, he was surprised to know that no one was staring at him. They briefly glanced up, then looked back at their commander.

"Ugh...what exactly did I miss?"

Echo shrugged. "Nothing really."

Zero then spoke up. "Okay, according to your reports, Maverick activity is moderate at the moment. There is an average of 7 Maverick disturbances a week. However, recently, as noted by Maverick Hunter Echo, these mavericks are starting to get a bit...irregular. Like the ninja mavericks. I-"

Suddenly, a beeping was heard over at a console nearby Solara, who looked at it.

"It seems that there just so happens to be a Maverick disturbance in the middle of Abel City. 17 miles away from the power station. 10 miles away from the human clinic. 20 miles away from a residential area."

"What's the threat level, Solara?" Zero turned to her direction.

"Red. There are already 12 casualties, and 8 injured. We need to move now, Commander Zero!"

"I wasn't thinking otherwise. Let's move, people!"

* * *

><p>Ugh...review before I completely lose motivation. On a brighter note, Mass Effect 2 is addicting as hell.<p> 


	15. Forgotten Humanity

Redemption

Chapter 15: Forgotten Humanity

**My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

**Author's note: I lost motivation to write for a brief period of time. Besides, Mass Effect 2 is one hell of a game...anyway, here's the chapter.**

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><p>The bounty hunter known as Magnus had a gray helmet, with a transparent, dark blue visor. His armor was pitch-black, and there was a sphere in his chest. It guarded his power core which gave him an edge over most reploids in terms of strength, speed, durability, and reflexes. Essentially, he was like a super-reploid. Magnus also wore blood red gloves, in contrast to everyone's white gloves. Both of his shoulder guards had a hexagon with an "M" inside it.<p>

He was actually having some fun with these idiots that his employer called "minions." Though he was aware he'd eventually encounter the Special 0 Unit of the Maverick Hunters, he was unaware that they were a lot closer than he thought.

The Special 0 Unit were riding their Speed Chasers towards the location. As the hunters reached their destination, Delta gasped as he saw Magnus. Back when he was an officer of Repliforce, he'd not only encounter Mavericks, but also bounty hunters, mercenaries, and assassins. Delta met up with Magnus the most, with a total of 6 times.

Fifteen rammed her vehicle into a Maverick, before jumping off. The vehicle crashed into a building, fracturing the grunt's bones. The female hunter didn't know whether it killed him or not, but it still paralyzed him. As she turned to Killian's direction, she saw that his Speed Chaser was on it's side. But the momentum from it's MPH still kept it going, and Killian was standing on top of it, effortlessly maintaining balance. Equipped with his buster, the hunter started shooting at the minions. When he reached a safe distance, he tackled one of the Mavericks.

Echo immediately noticed that the Mavericks were similar looking to the ones who fought alongside Ares, only here, their armor was indigo with a bit of gray. His Speed Chaser stopped, and the reploid stepped off of it, activating his wrist blades. Solara wasn't as stylish as Killian, or as brutal as Fifteen. She was like Echo. They both just got the job done. She shot a semi-charged shot from her buster, which caused one of the grunts' arms to fall off. Solara took this time to put the Maverick out of his misery.

In the middle of the carnage, Delta and Magnus stared at each other. The bounty hunter couldn't resist putting a smug grin on his face when he saw Delta. _Sure hope this will be like old times! _He thought to himself.

And then, Delta spoke. "Magnus. I thought by now you would've decided to fuck off already."

"Heh. You know me. I don't know the meaning of the term 'fuck off.'"

"That's one of the prime reasons why you're so _fucking _annoying."

"That's not very nice, Delta. Is that really a way to treat an old friend like me?"

In response, the golden hunter drew his saber, as did the mercenary. They dashed towards each other, throwing whatever they had at each other. After the 6 times Delta encountered Magnus, he knew how to handle the foe. However, what Delta wasn't aware of at the moment was that Magnus was holding back his true skill. The first thought that went into Delta's mind was to destroy his primary power core, which will cause Magnus to resort to using his secondary power core, which in turn has the attributes of a normal reploid. But the bounty hunter was too stubborn. He refused to let his main source of power destroyed.

Magnus intentionally let himself get hit on the leg by Delta's saber. But he wished he hadn't. The slash was more painful than he'd anticipated. But, then again, the damage was done. Quite literally, indeed. The assassin grunted in pain, before headbutting Delta, who made his own mistake of letting his guard down.

Magnus immediately followed up with a swift kick in the stomach, which knocked the Maverick Hunter back. Magnus then turned around, running towards his Speed Chaser. Unlike other Maverick Hunter and Repliforce Speed Chasers, which were mostly silver, Magnus' Speed Chaser was bronze, which several people found ugly.

As the bounty hunter sped away, Delta got back on his own vehicle, chasing after Magnus. The rest of the team found that these Mavericks were actually a lot stronger than they'd previously thought. Solara was having the worst of it. She found herself fighting 3 of the grunts at the same time, which was easier said than done. A lot easier said than done.

As she saw Delta chasing after Magnus, she fired a fully-charged shot at one of the Mavericks, who was eradicated. Solara then brought up her leg, performing a roundhouse kick, which hit another Maverick's face. She then followed up by jabbing the reploid with her buster, before pulling the trigger. Solara then turned around, seeing the headless body of the last Maverick crumble before Echo, who gave her a thumbs up and a nod.

Solara nodded back, before getting on her Speed Chaser. By the time she sped away, Echo was already occupied with more of the grunts. The female Maverick Hunter sped faster and faster, pushing the vehicle to nearly it's maximum speed. After two minutes, she reached the power station, where she saw two Speed Chasers outside.

The girl stepped off, running inside the building. She followed the trail of dead workers, and burn marks on the wall which she assumed were from buster pellets. She then found herself in a room with a power generator that ran the height of the room. The primary power generator. It channeled power into the other power generators throughout the station, which in turn channeled power into the numerous districts.

Magnus and Delta were clashing with each other, their sabers slamming into each other. Solara activated her buster, trying to aim for Magnus, for the two reploids were moving too fast for her to get a proper aim. By the time a fully-charged shot would've reached them, Delta would've probably taken the shot, instead of the bounty hunter.

However, as Magnus swiftly kicked Delta's face, he made to the primary power generator. And had Solara not shot him, the power would've certainly gone out. The semi-charged shot knocked the surprised bounty hunter back. Magnus looked to his right, facing this young reploid. _Well, if I'm going to get this job done, I need to make sure the Maverick Hunters are dead..._

Delta pulled out his Buster Shot, shooting at Magnus, who was dashing towards Solara. But Delta's energy pellets merely missed him, and the golden Maverick Hunter blamed himself for the lack of his accuracy. If he was more accurate, he could've saved Solara...

Solara tried her best. She really did. This reploid, maverick or not, was certainly more than meets the eye. He deftly dodged not only her own shots, but Delta's shots as well. She was barely able to evade Magnus, who nearly stabbed her. But she wasn't quick enough to dodge another attack. This mistake took away her life.

A split-second after Magnus failed to stab Solara, he pulled his saber back, ramming the butt of the hilt into Solara's face. Distracted by the pain, Solara couldn't possibly have seen the saber stabbing into her stomach. Pain seared through her body. And she had suddenly lost the will to stand. She tried to lift her arm up to shoot Magnus, but it felt like trying to lift up a tank with her bare hands.

Magnus withdrew his saber, as Solara's lifeless body dropped to the ground. _Maybe Delta can die knowing he failed to save the power and this girl's life! _He thought darkly.

Delta yelled out in rage, holstering his Buster Shot shakily. "Y-YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"I've been called that often enough for me to not care anymore."

As Magnus looked back, he was intimidated when he saw Delta's eyes slightly gleaming red, similar to The Reaper, though Delta's pupils and iris were still clearly visible. Delta couldn't have been crying. He didn't feel any tears. Magnus didn't see any tears, so that ruled out the possibility that Delta's eyes were only pink from crying.

No. Delta's eyes were crimson red. It was almost as if there was fire in his eyes. Almost. Magnus kept his cool, grinning as he twirled his saber. _What is this? Some "power within" shit? _He dashed towards the power generator, just like Maximilian said. Destroy the power generator, and kill Delta. Simple, right? No. Of course not.

Magnus dashed towards the power generator, but immediately dashed backwards when he saw Delta attempting to stab him. Delta growled savagely, as if he gave up his civil personality to kill Magnus like a wild animal.

The hunter spun to the side, bringing up his saber to block a slice from Magnus. Going on the offensive, Delta performed a side kick. The force of the kick almost managed to knock the bounty hunter down, but Magnus kept his balance, and he jumped back from the force of the kick.

Delta then took this opportunity to lunge his saber towards Magnus' power core, though the bounty hunter barely managed to block it with his own saber. The two reploids then swung their sabers at each other. Their weapons were interlocked together, and both pushed forward as best as they could.

However, as what was essentially a super-reploid, Magnus had more strength. His strength managed to push Delta back, causing him to jump back in surprise. Delta gritted his teeth, and dashed forward, slashing at Magnus, who blocked it, causing their sabers to interlock again. This time, Magnus brought up his foot, kicking Delta's hand, knocking the saber out of his grasp.

Delta then dashed backwards, narrowly evading a forward slash from Magnus. Delta pulled out his Buster Shot, repeatedly firing several shots at the bounty hunter, who chuckled as he effortlessly deflected the bullets. Magnus himself became too cocky. As the bounty hunter dashed towards Delta, he didn't intend to stab him. He intended to slice off his arm. However, Delta's reflexes were seemingly heightened by rage, and he managed to evade the slice, before firing a semi-charged shot. The force of the shot caused Magnus' hand to fly off of his body, as well as his saber.

Though the bounty hunter more than easily survived it, it still hurt. A lot. Magnus screamed in pain, before Delta slammed his pistol into the side of Magnus' helmet, knocking him into the ground, though even that didn't knock him out. In order to make sure that Magnus wouldn't be able to get up, Delta grabbed the mercenary by his helmet with one hand, and with his other hand, rammed his fist through Magnus' power core guard, which was only glass.

And then, Delta grabbed hold of the core itself, and ripped it out, wires snapping. Magnus screamed in pain, much to Delta's dark delight. Delta could've sworn he felt a grin on his face, but at the moment, he didn't care. But the golden Maverick Hunter still had enough sanity within him to know to keep Magnus alive for interrogation. Delta could even see wires inside Magnus replacing the primary core with the secondary core, but Magnus still couldn't get up after that.

As Delta dropped Magnus, he received a transmission. When he remembered that his team actually existed, Delta realized how tired he was. He pressed his hand against the side of his head, and heard Echo's voice.

"Delta! Where are you? We can't find you anywhere!"

Delta guessed that his comrades killed the other Mavericks. Eventually, Delta cooled off, and his anger was replaced with guilt over Solara's death. But he still responded to his friend.

"Yeah, I'm here. I chased down one of the Mavericks to a power station. I got him, but I'm about to question him."

"Good. Is Solara with you?"

Delta gulped, his heart dropping. He was barely able to even respond. "She...she was. B-But the Maverick got her...she's dead."

"What?"

"Listen...I gotta go. I'll meet you guys later at HQ with some intel."

"Okay, then...see you later. I hope."

Delta then grabbed Magnus by his collar, the merc barely conscious at all. Magnus couldn't even spit in Delta's face.

"Okay, Magnus. No more screwing around. Who hired you?"

"Burn in hell!"

Delta then punched Magnus in the face, gritting his teeth. "You've already failed the damned job, Magnus. I'm going to make sure this is your last job. Now, you might as well tell me who hired you. Now."

"Maximilian. Ring any bells, Delta?"

Delta raised an eyebrow. "If he really did want me dead, he would've sent The Reaper. Why you?"

"I guess I'm just...special."

"We all know there's nothing special about you, Magnus. You're just a worthless piece of-."

"I get the idea."

"I need some more info before I'll let you go. It won't be too hard, Magnus. At least, you don't have to make it hard on yourself."

The mercenary considered his options. "Alright. What do you want to know?"

"Anything useful. How about telling me where I can find Maximilian's secret ambition. There has to be something more than just powering up The Reaper with Evil Energy."

"Look, I don't know what this Evil Energy is, or who The Reaper is, but I just so happened to decide to dig around Maximilian's personal files and I discovered that...he gets the funds from a certain Jackson Butler Jr."

This surprised Delta. The human millionaire Jackson Butler Sr. was the founder of the video game company Quality. His son was one of those millionaire playboys, who liked to often throw parties, and was carefree. He was the last person anyone would've suspected to be funding something like Project: Alpha.

"Thanks for the info, friend."

"Yeah...no problem." Magnus retorted sarcastically.

Delta wiped some blood from his face, before requesting a pickup team to extract Solara's body, himself, and Magnus for further questioning. Even if Magnus had nothing else to add, he was put under arrest.

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><p>Gasp. What a plot twist. Character death. Yay. I'm so creative. Reviews are deeply appreciated.<p> 


	16. The Party

Redemption

Chapter 16: The Party

**Disclaimer: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

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><p>"Though I'm a bit unsure about Butler, it's the only thing we have."<p>

Everyone was in the briefing room again, with Zero leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as usual.

"I questioned Magnus, and he's still saying Jackson Butler Jr. is the man funding Maximilian." Zero continued, "Hopefully, he'll have something useful to give us."

Fifteen spoke up. "But Commander, I doubt that he'll give out information for free if we just simply ask him. And considering that if we beat him, the humans will consider us Mavericks."

"That brings me to my next point. Tomorrow, Butler is throwing a party celebrating his father's 64th birthday. Anyone is welcome. The party will be starting at 7:30 PM."

Killian scoffed. "Anyone is welcome? That's a bit careless for someone as rich as he is, don't you think?"

"Security will be a bitch to bypass."

"Right."

Zero then started to speak up again. "Since this is an infiltration mission, you'll be wearing regular clothing to give people the idea that you're all human. Butler doesn't look too kindly at reploids. Once there, you'll have to lure Butler somewhere private, and interrogate him. After that's said and done, get the hell out of there. Incapacitate any security officers if necessary."

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><p>The rest of the day passed quietly. Echo was trying to learn how to really flirt. Delta locked himself in his room, blaming himself for Solara's death. Fifteen took a nap. And Killian claimed he was doing paperwork for Signas and Zero.<p>

Eventually, Delta got tired, and let sleep get the better of him. As he woke up the next day, he made no effort to get up.

_Ugh...I feel like shit._

_**There was nothing you could've done about Solara's death, Delta. What's done is done. Magnus is behind bars, and you got the information you needed.**_

Delta blinked. _Oh, no. The Reaper. Are you really in my head, or am I just mindfucked right now?_

_**I've always been with you, Delta. I've watched you closely. It's a good thing you stopped Magnus.**_

_Now you've confused me. Are you with or against Maximilian?_

_**You are a very interesting individual, Delta. You remind me of myself years ago.**_

_You didn't answer my question. Are you just ignoring me?_

The voice laughed. _**Is there really any difference between you and me, Delta?**_

_Please don't answer my question with another question that is completely irrelevant. Why are you even in my head?_

_**Let's just say...you're the only reploid I find interesting.**_

_Okay. Next question. Why are you so fucking creepy?_

_**Why do I know who you are? Why do I know everything about you? For now, you can just say that Evil Energy does wonders.**_

_Sorry. I don't do drugs._

_**You'd better get out of your room before people start calling you emo.**_

_What?_

There was no response. Delta grunted in frustration, before forcing himself up. His first infiltration mission. How exciting. No, not really. Come to think of it, why doesn't Zero ever go with us in missions anymore? What could he possibly be busy with?

Regardless, Delta exited his room, before looking down. There, he saw his own "human" clothes. A pair of blue jeans, a plain green t-shirt, and some glasses. Perfect...

7:30 PM

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><p>The team were standing just outside Butler's house. Everyone was wearing their human clothes. Fifteen was dressed in dark green pants, and a bright blue shirt that said "Limited Time Offer" on top of the breasts. Killian wore black sunglasses, a white shirt with gray lines running vertically across it, and a pair of long khaki pants. Echo was wearing a velvet red coat over a brown t-shirt, along with some brown pants.<p>

Echo blinked. "I look like shit."

Delta smirked. "You don't look any worse than usual, buddy."

As the team started walking into the building, Delta realized something.

"Hey...does anyone actually know how we're going to get Jackson and interrogate him in a private area?"

Fifteen spoke up. "What, I'm not hot enough to seduce him and lure him into his own room?"

"Hmph. What do you think of the plan, guys?"

Killian shrugged. "If it works, sure. If it's a waste of time, don't bother."

It was Echo's turn to shrug. "Well, don't guys like him party until 4 in the morning?"

"They party as much as they can. There's no telling how long the party will be."

As the four reploids entered the building, they were greeted by two bouncers. The first bouncer, a bald man with sunglasses, spoke up. "Take the stairs. That's where the party is."

Delta nodded again. "Thanks." As the team went up the stairs, and Fifteen was surprised at how loud the music actually was. It was loud as shit. It played some crappy techno trance music that Delta scowled at. Humans actually liked this garbage?

Echo blinked, seeing about five people, presumably all in their mid-twenties, carrying a fridge. "Uhh...guys? You might want to take a look at that." Echo said as he pointed at them. The five humans carrying the fridge threw the object out the window and through the balcony. Jackson Butler Jr. himself just laughed when he saw that. Echo raised an eyebrow. _I guess I wouldn't really care when my fridge is thrown out the window when I can easily buy another one._

Delta suddenly decided to get himself some beer. _Sometimes, I wish I was a human born a century ago so I could listen to Phil Collins. _As he walked over to a table and took a bottle, he heard Butler yell; "Hey, look, everyone! I got a special delivery package from someone! Who wants to see me open it?"

Everyone grinned stupidly and nodded in approval. As Butler opened the package, his eyes widened. "WHOA! NO WAY! THERE'S A TURD IN THIS BOX!"

The party members rushed towards Jackson, staring at the package as if it were an alien object. Killian rolled his eyes, shaking his head. _Dumbasses._

As Fifteen pursed her lips, she decided to get a bottle of beer as well. Butler noticed her, and stumbled towards her, handing the package to a random person.

"H-Hey."

As Butler spoke, Fifteen glanced at him. He seemed...drunk? _This might be easier than I thought it would be..._

"Hi."

"How's it going?"

"Good—Oh! You're Jackson Butler Jr.!" Fifteen faked a smile.

The millionaire smiled. "Yeah. I'm awesome."

"You're cute when you're drunk."

Butler even blushed a little, before responding. "Hey...uhh...do you want to maybe...I don't know...go to my room and look at my...stamp collection?"

Fifteen raised an eyebrow. _Wow, this is a lot easier than I thought. _"Sure."

As she walked with Butler, Fifteen glanced at Delta, before nodding. Delta, in turn, glanced at Echo and Killian, giving them a thumbs up. Unfortunately, there were two bouncers standing guard nearby the door. Delta walked towards his teammates.

"Okay...we need to find a way to get past the security guards."

"We could just go out the balcony and climb through the window of Butler's room." Echo suggested.

"That's suggesting the room actually has a window."

"It might. You never know."

"Why don't you go take a look, then?" Delta replied.

"Sure thing." Echo did so, walking out the balcony to check. He came back shaking his head. "No window." He concluded.

Killian managed a snort. "With someone as powerful as Jackson, it's completely understandable to be paranoid. People might want to kill him, steal his money, among other things. Better safe than sorry."

"Are you done yet?" Delta scowled.

"Pretty sure I am now."

Delta nodded. "Good."

The three sat in silence, until Killian stood up, smiling. "I've got it. Wait here. Hopefully, it'll do the trick. You'll know when to make a break for it."

Delta and Echo didn't object, even if they wanted to. Killian walked over to the table, grabbing one of the glass bottles of wine. Walking into the middle of the crowd of humans to keep out of the security officers' sight, Killian slammed the bottle into a random woman's head, knocking her out. Smirking to himself, Killian then placed what remained of the bottle in the hand of one of the female humans, who was almost too shocked to realize the bottle was even in her hand.

As the bouncers walked over to investigate, the trio snuck into Butler's room. Echo was sincerely surprised that the door wasn't locked. Oh well. Convenience was good whenever it helped. In Jackson's room, they saw Fifteen sitting on the bed. For someone as rich as Butler, the bed looked almost identical to the beds in HQ, except bigger. Butler himself was seemingly unconscious, strapped to a chair.

Delta glanced at Killian. "You know, what you did was pretty...irregular. Like a Maverick."

The sunglasses wearing reploid shrugged. "Bite me."

Echo crossed his arms, eyebrows raised. "You didn't...dominate him, did you?"

Fifteen rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "I hope I didn't hit him too hard."

"What did you hit him with?" Delta asked.

"My fist."

"Huh. I didn't know you had it in you."

"Well, just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can't pack a good punch."

"No, no! I didn't mean it like that-"

"Anyway," Killian interrupted, "how long has it been since you punched him?"

"4 minutes."

Delta sighed. "Great. Who knows when he'll wake up?"

Jackson Butler Jr. woke up trapped in a chair in front of 4 people. A whore, a douchebag, a nerd, and a "normie." That's what Jackson saw anyway. He gritted his teeth. "You fucking whore. I'm going to kill you! Guards? Guards!"

"They can't hear you over the music. Maybe next time you shouldn't make it so loud." Echo stated, his arms crossed.

"What do you want from me?"

Delta decided to play Good Cop by simply stating the facts. "You're funding a reploid scientist named Maximilian. Are you also funding Project: Alpha?"

"What the hell is Project: Alpha?"

Delta shook his head, before glancing at Killian, who just shrugged. As Delta looked back at Butler, he took a step forward. "Please, don't play innocent. Killian here is the Bad Cop, and he'll be more than delighted to give you a good beating."

Still, Butler continued pretending to be innocent. "Look! I don't know what you people are talking about! I don't know anything about...Project: Alpha or whatever! Who are you anyway?"

"We're Maverick Hunters."

"Maverick Hunters? In my party house? Get out of here!"

"Pretty tough for a guy who's strapped to a chair."

"Relax, Butler. We just wanted to ask you a few questions. We're not going to rob you, and if you behave well enough, we might even consider untying you. If you stall, I'm going to hurt you. This doesn't have to be hard. In fact, it can be easier than blinking, provided you do the right things." Killian said.

"Burn in hell."

"Joke's on you, I'm Atheist." Killian smirked at his remark, before punching Butler in the face. "Really. You don't want this to go on forever, do you?"

"Alright, alright! What do you want to know?"

Fifteen smiled. "That's better. Are you funding Project: Alpha?"

Butler struggled mildly, seeing if he was able to break through his binds. "Yeah, I am."

Delta put his hands behind his back, ever so slightly tilting his head. "How about a personal question? Exactly why are you funding Maximilian? This reploid is a madman and his ambitions are wrong."

"That's where you're wrong! Maximilian will lead evolution into the next step! Because of my funding, his plan will prevail!"

Delta facepalmed, shaking his head. "Oh boy, if I had a nickel for every time. Anyway, what do you mean by evolution? Seriously."

"You don't know. You are big fools. You will learn soon enough, that you cannot defeat evolution!"

Echo raised an eyebrow. "Jesus, he's gone insane in like, 15 seconds!"

Killian slammed his fist into the side of Butler's head. "Y'know, if you're not going to tell us the details of Project: Alpha, tell us where we can find the details!"

Echo spoke up again. "Remember when we went to rescue Delta? Commander Zero downloaded information concerning Project: Alpha."

"Yeah, and all we learned was that there are a bunch of capsules all over the continent with Evil Energy inside. We don't know how many, or why they're there."

Echo blinked, stepping back sheepishly. "Oh, right."

Fifteen rolled her eyes. "Will you guys just shut up? Butler, answer Killian's question before another bad cop is introduced."

"Decker. Reploid scientist. Current principal of Parker Junior High. He probably keeps his files in his office or something."

Delta smiled. "Fantastic. Thanks for the info."

"Now, are you going to untie me?"

"No. You'd call for your guards. We aren't blunt. Maybe Echo, but not the rest of us."

"Hey!" Echo said, insulted.

"Later, Butler!"

"GET BACK HERE AND UNTIE ME!" Butler demanded, clearly outraged.

Delta smirked, not looking back. "That wouldn't really be much fun, now would it, Butler? If only you peacefully cooperated, you might have not had to depend on your guards to eventually find you strapped to a chair."

Jackson struggled some more, grunting in frustration. "You aren't getting away with this! Guards! Dammit!"

Killian nearly snorted. "Dumbass."

Fifteen rolled her eyes, sighing. "Okay. We got what we came for. Now let's get the hell out of here, guys."

Echo nodded. "Agreed."

But there was one thing that the Special 0 Unit forgot about. By the time they were finished interrogating Jackson Butler Jr., the bouncers had walked back to their original place, beside Butler's room. As the door slid open, the bouncers gasped. Shocked at how they forgot something like security, Echo could only kick the buster shot pistol out of one of the bouncers' hands. Well, according to the law, if a reploid attacked a human unprovoked, it would automatically be considered a Maverick. So the Maverick Hunters had to wait for the humans to strike first, before they could actually fight back. But the security guards never actually did hit.

In the 22nd century, bullets were almost completely replaced by buster pistols. "Almost" being the key word. Some people (or reploids) decided to use bullets. Whether it be that they had a "classical" feel to it, or that it was more effective, actual bullets were still around. Barely. The figure outside the party knelt on a rooftop, firing two bullets from his sniper rifle. One bullet hit a guard's leg, while the other bullet hit the second guard's leg. They both grunted in pain, collapsing.

As the two bouncers collapsed, Killian didn't hesitate to take this chance to make a break for it. The disguised reploids followed closely. As they ran downstairs, Delta ducked, dodging a swift punch from the first bouncer, before kicking him in the groin, followed by a roundhouse kick to the face. Fifteen blocked a punch from a guard, before countering it with an uppercut, knocking him out.

The Maverick Hunters didn't know who saved them, and they wouldn't know for a little while. But they still got the information they desired. Now, all they needed to do was find out where Parker Junior High was, and download the schematics. Simple, right? Delta only shrugged.

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><p>So...yeah! That's Chapter 16! PLEASE review!<p> 


	17. Filler

Redemption

Chapter 17: Filler

**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

* * *

><p>It was a perfectly normal morning. The navigators had just woken up. One certain navigator had been assigned to find Parker Junior High. Delta felt stupid for not asking what the address was. But still, it wasn't too much of a problem. In the meantime, Commander Zero had asked the team to test out the prototype for Douglas' jet thrusters. The mechanic installed the jet thrusters into the hunters' boots for the test.<p>

"Okay...so how do we activate them?" Echo asked gingerly, scratching his head.

"It automatically activates when you want it to. It's in sync with your primary CPU, so when your control chip requests them to activate, they'll do so." Douglas responded.

"...Cool." Echo simply replied.

"So, Commander Zero, is there any particular destination to fly, or do we just fly all over the place?" Delta asked, feeling awkward about the question.

Zero only shrugged. "Sure. Have fun flying all over Abel City."

Killian snorted. "Right."

Douglas also took the time to equip the team with spare parts that were heavy, though they made the armor tougher, just in case the jet thrusters malfunctioned in mid-air. As the team walked outside, Douglas crossed his fingers, hoping they'd actually work. As the team took off, Douglas smiled as everything went smoothly. Albeit it was only 3 seconds and nothing seemed wrong. Yet.

Everything went swimmingly well for some time. Delta had never felt this much adrenaline before. Flying in the sky at approximately 98 miles per hour. With the wind smashing into his face. He never felt this...alive. The golden reploid himself was about 32 feet in the air. He preferred not to look down.

Fifteen felt uncomfortable flying. Mainly because her hair kept smashing into her face thanks to the speed of these damn jet thrusters. She tried to ignore it, but it simply wouldn't let her. She let out a frustrated sigh, feeling strands of hair fly all over the place.

Echo liked the idea of jet thrusters, even though personally he liked the idea of jet packs better. Oh well. Same difference, he thought. That was his favorite term whenever Delta corrected him with something. The Maverick Hunter decided to put in a few spinning tricks just for fun. Damn. He was flying with style now!

Killian felt uneasy about the particular jet thrusters installed into his boots. They seemed...faulty? No, because they hadn't done anything that Killian would've found faulty. Still, there was just something about flying high in the sky with an early beta version of jet thrusters. Prototypes were often glitchy and faulty, hence the name. His fear of heights didn't help him either. As expected, it made him feel a lot worse. Knowing that these machines could break down at any time. Well, Douglas has made promising work so far, but is he just a mad scientist or is he really a genius?

The four reploids flew around Abel City, admiring the view, praying that these jet thrusters didn't malfunction, getting used to the wind in their face, or just being frustrated that their hair kept getting into their face. Delta eventually did get used to the adrenaline and the wind in his face. When Delta told himself that there was no way in hell these jet thrusters would just suddenly break down now, he took a deep breath and started enjoying himself.

Echo smiled, arching downwards a bit. He flew down until he was 16 feet in the air. As he looked down, he saw bewildered humans and reploids looking up in confusion. Amusing himself, the black-armored Maverick Hunter waved at them. A human child, probably about 5 years old, smiled and waved back, while her mother just stared at Echo, eyes wide with shock. The reploid then decided to fly back upwards.

Back down, the human child asked her mother a question. "Mommy, is that an angel from heaven?" The mother didn't respond. She was too dumbfounded from the sight she had just witnessed, and partly from how well her daughter was taking it.

Meanwhile, Fifteen eventually had enough of the strands of hair smashing into her face and decided to rest on top of a rooftop. As the blonde female stood on top of a building, she admired the view. It wasn't every day Fifteen got to test out jet thrusters and enjoy vistas. After about 5 minutes, Fifteen took a deep breath, and flew up again.

Killian rolled his eyes. _Why did I agree to do this? _He thought to himself. After minutes of flying, his uneasiness of his jet thrusters went away. But the suspicion was still in the back of his mind. The key words being "back of his mind," as he didn't take this thought too seriously anymore. But then all of a sudden...

**ZZP! ZAP! Zzzzzzz...**

And then Killian's jet thrusters went out. They malfunctioned, as he had predicted. His heart started racing. He couldn't scream. He couldn't even yell at himself. All he could do was think negatively. _Fuck! Fuck! I knew something was fucking wrong with these fucking jet thrusters! Why am I the fucking one who gets the pair of fucking jet thrusters that fucking malfunction? Why am I-_

**KRASH!**

A few minutes before Killian's jet thrusters went out, two teenage human girls were at a restaurant. The first girl, an American brunette named Rose Gontier had just broken up with her boyfriend, and she was feeling down, so her best friend, Sharon Ross, invited her over to lunch in an effort to cheer her up.

"You'll eventually find someone who's right for you. Remember that old saying? There's a lot of fish in the sea." Ross was the optimistic kind of girl. That was a rare trait found in humans these days...

Rose rolled her eyes. "I think I should just refrain from dating for a while. After all, it'll be a while before I accept the fact that I can never find a perfect man who fell from heaven."

And then Killian came crashing into the diner, landing on top of the table the two girls were sitting in. Groaning, Killian stumbled off the broken table, looking around him. He only saw spoiled food, shocked humans, and a door. Gingerly holding his sides in pain, Killian sheepishly spoke up from the silence. "Sorry...sorry about the mess. Oh...oh god, this hurts so fucking much. Oh, shit...fuck, this hurts."

The shocked looks followed him to the door, where Killian winced in pain as he opened the door. As he exited the restaurant, the door slid back down. Killian grunted when he realized there were a few dents in his armor, mostly on his back. He saw humans staring at him. Embarrassed, Killian tried to reactivate his jet thrusters, intending to only fly to a rooftop to escape the confused looks. No response. _Well, guess that means I'm walking home. _The wounded Maverick Hunter thought to himself. He was only glad that the heavy armor prevented him from actually getting a serious injury. He'd feel better in an hour or two. Or maybe he was just being too optimistic. But then again, if he was able to walk, he's fine. Right?

…

About an hour later, the unit returned to HQ, unharmed. Well, at least most of them were unharmed. All in all, Killian was still somewhat grateful that he was wearing the heavy armor parts, or his damage would have been much, much more severe. That didn't help his mood though.

Douglas smiled, seemingly unaware of Killian's incident. "So, how'd they go?"

Killian glared at Douglas, who was uninstalling his jet thrusters. "They malfunctioned in mid-air, and I crashed into a diner," Killian said.

Douglas frowned, sighing. "Well, they _are_ prototypes," Douglas remarked, "Maybe in time, the Jet Thrusters V1 will be much better."

After the reploid mechanic uninstalled the jet thruster prototypes from the rest of the reploids, they decided to rest. Delta played Moonlight Sonata on his computer. It was one of his favorite songs. Naturally, Delta liked older songs from the 21st century better. They just had a...a "classic" feel to them. After all, they _were _a century old.

Killian decided to sleep in his capsule until he wakes up for the mission. Whenever that would be. Of course, he didn't judge a navigator's ability. Maverick Hunters relied on the navigators to keep them alive. The visor-wearing Maverick Hunter was just worried that the task of finding the address of the school was in the hands of some amateur navigator.

Fifteen was not an outdoor person, like Delta. She preferred staying inside, where there was air conditioning. No bugs. No weird noises. And personally, she just thought places like the jungle, or the beach, just smelled horrible. Fifteen laid down on her bed, exhaling as she placed her hands on her stomach.

Echo was one of those people who were in between lazy and energetic, except he leaned ever so slightly closer to energetic. He really wasn't tired, so it was clear that he didn't really need to sleep. Sometimes, he'd spend days without going to sleep, and still not really need rest. He lasted for 3 days. Then he collapsed on his bed. No one really noticed. No one really cared.

But sleeping or not, they were all eventually called to report to the briefing room, as requested by none other than Commander Zero. _Jesus, why can't they send the 17__th__ Elite Unit to do a mission for once? _Delta thought lazily.

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><p>The new chapters just might come a little (a lot, probably) bit slower now that I'm back in school. Review!<p> 


	18. Revelation

Redemption  
>Chapter 18: Revelation<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

As the Special 0 Unit entered the briefing room, Delta raised an eyebrow as he saw a familiar face. One from the 17th Elite Unit. Theta.

"Theta?" Delta said, confused. Theta sat on a chair, his legs relaxing on the table. Commander Zero was next to him, hands on the table. Theta smiled.

"Oh. Hey, you guys."

"Aren't you supposed to be with Commander X?" Delta asked.

This was when Commander Zero spoke up. "After the unfortunate death of Solara, Theta volunteered to replace her. Of course, Commander X approved the idea. And here we are."

Delta's mechanical heart felt heavy again, but he took a deep breath. The pain on his face may have been obvious, as Fifteen held his hand tightly, before speaking up. "Sir, what are Theta's capabilities?"

There was her voice again. Fifteen's beautiful voice. _Fuck, how did we fall in love to quickly? It doesn't make sense. Hell, it feels like we've known each other longer than a few weeks. But I can't find shit in my memory banks. And now, I'm not even sure we're dating. I mean, we don't really hold hands often. We just glance at each other and smile whenever we pass by each other. I really hope that wasn't just casual sex or something. Maybe I should buy her something after the mission. Maybe I'll ask Kayla for some money._

Commander Zero responded to his second-in-command's question. "He's a jack of all trades. Skilled in many things, like combat, stealth, and even a little bit of engineering expertise."

Killian raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Sounds useful."

Theta nodded. "Indeed."

Now, it was Echo's turn to speak up. "Commander, anything new about our mission?"

"I've just uploaded the address and blueprints of Parker Junior High to your systems. You should receive it in about a minute or so. Anyway, you know the drill. Under no circumstances will you harm any human. Don't even knock them out, or shoot them with a stun buster."

"And if we get caught?" Delta asked.

"You're all fucked." Zero simply replied. He didn't need to say more. That much was clear.

Fifteen nodded. "Then it looks like we better be careful."

Zero nodded in return. "I hope I made myself clear. Any questions?"

"What exactly are we looking for, and where do you expect we can find it?" Killian asked.

The Commander shrugged. "Confidential files on Project: Alpha, hideouts, blueprints, anything useful."

Killian nodded. "Great."

Zero sighed. "Move out, people."

By the time 21XX was reached, many different subjects were created. Robotics, robot history, basic tech classes, not to mention that over the years, a new religion had emerged. But that's another story. The point was, the new religion had its own class, instead of it being in a Theology class, since the certain religion's theories and deities were interesting.

The main point was that schools were a bit bigger than they were in the 21st century. New classes, new jobs for staff members, and some more. And the football field wasn't even mentioned. Or the baseball field. Or the soccer field. Or the playground in general. These fields were behind the school. Delta stepped onto the grass, followed by Echo, who in turn was followed by Theta.

_Infiltrate, find shit, and get the hell out. Simple, right? _Echo thought to himself. He had no idea how complicated it was about to get. No one did. Not Delta, Killian, Theta, or Fifteen either. The horrors were waiting. And they were unaware.

The navigator, Alia, spoke to the team via headset. "Guys, you're in luck. The staff are on a lunch break. If you hurry, you can get into Decker's office unnoticed. Be careful though. The students can still see you through a door's window, or if they happen to have forgotten a book, and they need to get it from their locker. Good luck."

_Why the fuck do we have to do all the work? Why can't for once, just once, let Commander X and Commander Zero do something. I mean, yeah, X and Zero stopped Sigma a few times now, but really, why are those reploids lazy? _Killian thought negatively. He hated heat. He hated summer. The hot weather always put him in a bad mood. It also made him lazy. Kind of like Echo, except Echo was always lazy.

Delta spoke up. "So, someone tell me again, why aren't we going in through the front door instead?

"No one would think to look in the back door for intruders. Besides, the office, for some reason or another, is in the middle of the school, so it wouldn't really make any difference." Fifteen replied.

"Okay. Good to know."

Delta opened the door. Well, actually, it slid open. Good thing it wasn't that loud. _I really hope we don't get caught. Wait, is this even legal? _Theta thought. He never found out the answer to the question.

The team kept their heads down. They passed by the janitor's room, the physical education teacher's office, a few classrooms, and then they heard something. They heard footsteps. Yes, footsteps. The reploids were walking so soft that their footsteps nearly made no sound whatsoever. They stopped dead in their tracks. A locker opened. Delta, Killian, and Echo scurried to the left side of the hall, taking cover behind a locker. Fifteen and Theta did the same at the other side. Fifteen reluctantly peeked around the locker.

The person was obviously a student. A girl. She looked like she was 12 years old. African-American. Getting her biology book, which she probably would've remembered to get if she didn't spend her time talking to her friends in the hall. Theta nearly tripped trying to peek, but Fifteen pushed him back. She pushed him a bit too hard, as his back hit the wall. Fifteen moved her head back to behind the locker, her heart racing.

The girl looked to her right,. She swore she heard something. Right? I mean, she couldn't have just been hearing things. No, no. This isn't the time to be hearing things. Just get your damn books and get back to class, the girl thought. She got her book, and slammed her locker shut, before rushing back to class. Killian took a deep breath. Echo spoke silently. "That was too close."

Delta nodded in agreement. "Come on. We don't have time to waste."

Keeping their heads down, Echo occasionally brought up the blueprints to see where exactly they were going. Just a right turn. Then a left turn. And then the office was right there. The mission was far quicker than Echo expected it to be. In fact, the entire team felt that way.

As they entered the office, they saw some cabinets, a desk, a coffee mug that said "#1 Principal" with some pencils and pens in it, a computer, and a poster of a mountain that said "Determination" on it. Delta got a bit careless and overconfident, because as he turned on the computer, it asked for a password.

"Shit. It needs a password." Delta said as his heart dropped.

Theta smirked. "Good thing I came prepared." The Maverick Hunter pulled out a device. A hack module. What a clever bastard he was. He stepped in as Delta stepped back, observing the room. It looked like his old Repliforce office. Just a little bit, at least. Well, the computer was there. And the cabinets.

While Theta was busy hacking, Killian opened the "P" section of the cabinets, looking for files of Project: Alpha. Nothing. He looked in the "A" section, looking for Alpha. He found three files. One file of the actual letter, another for a reploid who happened to be named Alpha, and well, Project: Alpha. Grinning, Killian took the file, reading it. Instead of knowledge he already knew, the file actually showed personal journal logs written by Decker himself.

**Journal Log #1  
>November 5<strong>

**Just met a reploid named Maximilian. He said he had a job to offer me. I'd get paid. A lot. Of course I took the job. It was simple on paper, though it was a lot harder said than done. And even that was an understatement. He had some Bassnium, which I thought was long gone. Especially after the destruction of the legendary Bass. Anyway, he wanted me to build 15 capsules. And then build 15 reploids. Maximilian wants me to put the Bassnium inside the reploids, and put some sort of purple energy inside them. He called it Evil Energy. It sounded vaguely familiar. Maybe I should've paid more attention in History. Anyway, gotta get back to work soon.**

Killian glanced at Fifteen when he read the words "15 reploids" and "15 capsules." Deciding this one was useless, he went to read the other journal logs.

**BEEP!**

"Yes. I got it!" Theta grinned, having successfully hacked the computer. But he knew that it wasn't time so celebrate just yet. He looked for anything useful. Killian continued reading journal logs. He skipped a few, deciding that some, if not most, were just plain useless. Some of it was just Decker whining about his work. Another introduced The Reaper. Some more files had Decker whining about how he found The Reaper's appearance disturbing. Or intimidating. Whatever.

**Journal Log #56  
>August 5<strong>

**Is the money worth it? Well, probably. I haven't worked so hard in all of my life. But still, Maximilian is an interesting reploid. He gave me some disturbing news. He wanted me to build a fortress. What was disturbing about it? Well, that's going to be as hard as shit to make. Oh, well. At least Maximilian himself and The Reaper will be helping, even though that guy creeps me out. Why does he need the fortress? Well, he says that it gives him a place to stay just in case his plans go wrong, even though his entire plan is extremely well thought. Well, okay. Scratch that. It's simple, but I think it's kind of clever. Anyways, he also says that his fortress also requires a cannon. I don't know why, but whatever…**

Click.

Shit.

"Oh, shit. It's-it's you people!" Decker stood there, shocked. He clenched his fists, even though he knew that he had no chance of winning a fight with these Maverick Hunters. _Great. Now the Maverick Hunters are really starting to think I'm a maverick now, aren't they? _Decker thought to himself.

Delta raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the brilliant reploid himself. I wouldn't move if I were you."

Decker didn't move. He frowned at the golden Maverick Hunter. "Why are you here?"

"I thought it was obvious. We want some info."

"Information is power. You're not getting any."

Killian chuckled, as if Decker told a funny joke. "Tough talk for a guy who's surrounded. How about this; you give us info we need, you never see us again. Deal?"

Decker grunted. "…Do I even have a choice?"

The Maverick Hunter shrugged. "No. I don't think you do, Decker."

"Very well. What do you already know?"

Echo spoke up. "We know that you've built 15 capsules, and 15 reploids. Maximilian scattered them all over the continent for fear that they'll be discovered and used by others for different purposes. The question is, how many are left?"

"Several. Maximilian can activate them at any time to do his bidding. He keeps them asleep for The Reaper, however." Decker was reluctant to give information to the Maverick Hunters, but what choice did he have?

"Why couldn't he just have them come to The Reaper themselves?" Fifteen asked, crossing her arms.

"Maximilian has…a hidden agenda. I can't tell you."

Theta snorted. Well, it sounded like he snorted at least. "I'm pretty sure you can. You just choose not to. Between you and me, that's not a very wise choice."

Decker glared at Theta. "What do you know? You're nothing more than muscle. You don't know shit."

Theta raised an eyebrow. "Was that supposed to hurt?"

"Theta's right, Decker. You might as well tell us what you know, before I kill you." Killian smiled a creepy smile. Hearing that from Killian made Decker extremely uncomfortable. He couldn't even register the fact that if he was dead, they'd be unable to get the info needed from him.

"Okay, okay! Maximilian…he…he wants to betray The Reaper. Overthrow him. Take his power. Rule the Earth. There, are you fucking happy now?"

Delta blinked. "What? We need to stop him!"

Killian nodded in…agreement? Yeah. 'Right." He said.

Echo activated his wrist blades, thinking they'll intimidate Decker into talking some more. "Where's the fortress?"

Decker raised an eyebrow. "How about Delta asks The Reaper?"

Delta stared at Decker, wide-eyed. "How did you know I've been hearing his voice inside my head?"

Decker smirked. It was an uneasy smirk. Both for Delta and himself. "I work with The Reaper. I almost know everything about him. Almost being the key word."

Fifteen narrowed her eyes. She didn't even glance at Delta. "Care to explain why the fifteenth capsule is broken, and the reploid inside is missing?"

Decker's smirk wavered slightly. "Ask Killian."

Fifteen stared at Killian, while Delta pulled out his Buster Shot, in case Decker attempted to flee. He shrugged, shooting Decker in the leg anyway for the hell of it. No one complained. Decker screamed in pain, falling down. Delta walked over to the scientist, grabbing him by the neck and slamming his head into the wall.

"Care to say where the fifteenth reploid went?"

Decker grunted, his hands trying to pry Delta's hands off his neck. "The persona…it's already taking effect."

Delta gritted his teeth, slamming Decker's head into the wall even harder, not giving a damn if a human heard. "WHERE?"

Decker forced a grin. "She's…she's right here."

Delta glanced at Fifteen in disbelief. The rest of the team stared at Fifteen, who gasped. She felt rage, disbelief, and hate flowing inside her.

_No. Don't listen to him. He's lying. He's trying to screw with you. Don't listen to him. Goddamn it. Goddamn it to hell. This can't be happening. I…I. can't be the last reploid. I can't be evil. But…why else would I be simply named Fifteen? It only makes sense. No. Don't believe Decker. He's lying. Goddamn it. I'm lying to myself, aren't I?_

Delta never took his hand off Decker's neck. "Liar."

Decker, with that grin still on his smug face, laughed. "Who's lying? I'm only stating facts." And then he passed out.

Delta finally dropped Decker, before looking at Fifteen. She had a guilty look on her face, as if she'd done something she very much regretted. "I…I can't be…one of them. I can't."

"…I don't believe Decker either, Fifteen." Delta said, hoping to comfort the blonde.

Killian sighed. "Come on, we need to report back to base. Afterwards, it seems that I have to tell you guys a little something. We'll all meet up in Fifteen's room. I'll explain everything there."

Echo gave Killian a look. "You better."

Theta was speechless to be honest. But Killian was right. They had to report back. Well, after he got the exact coordinates of the fortress. Oh, wait. Already done. The Maverick Hunter nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

Gasp! Suspense and not-so-surprising plot twists! Reviews, anyone?


	19. Fear and Loathing in Abel City

Redemption  
>Chapter 19: Fear and Loathing in Abel City<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

Fifteen didn't bother reporting back to Commander Zero. She let the rest of the squad do that. She just locked herself in her room, while Delta talked to Zero.

"Where's Fifteen?" Zero asked, confused.

"Well—"Delta started, but was interrupted by Killian.

"She…locked herself in her room, Commander." Killian replied with a somewhat blunt and yet sympathetic tone.

Commander Zero raised an eyebrow, curious. "Why?"

Killian narrowed his eyes. "We discovered that she was the fifteenth reploid, though even she didn't know it until Decker revealed it."

"Decker?"

The Maverick Hunter nodded. "Yes, sir. He caught us in his office, though we managed to corner him and interrogate him."

Zero sighed. "Very well. Carry on."

Echo nodded, walking out of the briefing room. Killian later followed. Delta shrugged, deciding to go and give Fifteen some company. _I guess now isn't the best time to buy her something and talk about our relationship, but I still need to talk to her. Maybe cheer her up? Not sure if it'll work, but it's worth a shot._

He made his way into the elevator, which Echo also happened to be in. He had a look on his face. Delta knew that face. Echo wanted to discuss something. He was just waiting for Delta to get into the elevator. Nodding for no real reason, Delta entered the elevator, pressing a button, watching as the door closed.

Echo broke the brief silence. "Mind explaining The Reaper?"

Delta shrugged, trying to keep his cool. "I've been hearing his voices in my head. He's actually been helping me a bit."

Echo snorted. Delta was surprised. Echo almost never snorted. "Helping you? How? Don't tell me he's been telling you to betray us."

Delta nearly snapped. "If I wanted to betray you, I'd have already done it. Besides, even if he did tell me to betray you guys, I wouldn't do it. Come on, you guys are my friends. At least, you are. Don't you ever fucking think that."

Echo rolled his eyes. "So why is he in your brain anyway?"

"How the hell would I fucking know?"

Echo shrugged. Now, it was Delta's turn to roll his eyes. "You can be an utter idiot sometimes, you know that?"

Echo shrugged again. "We all are to some extent."

Delta crossed his arms. "But you, mostly."

Silence. Then the elevator door opened. Delta stepped out.

"If you need me, I'll be in the database library." Echo said, and the doors slid closed. Delta walked over to Fifteen's door, knocking on it. No response.

"Come on. I know you're in there."

A low reply came from behind the door. "Leave me alone. I don't want to talk right now."

Delta sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I do. Come on."

A more aggressive reply came from Fifteen. "Just fuck off, Delta. I don't want to fucking talk right now. What part of that didn't you understand?"

Delta blinked. He didn't expect a reply like that to come from her. But he couldn't blame her. She was in a real problem. "Okay. You know where to find me if you ever want to talk, Fifteen." And with that, Delta walked back into his room.

Echo was still trying to make some sense out of the information. Killian took the liberty of taking all of Decker's journal logs, and now, Echo was reading them. It wasn't like he had anything better to do anyway. He really didn't find anything that useful. Shepherd, the silent soldier from the 17th Elite Unit, was looking out the window. Echo didn't know what his problem was, but Shepherd was still loyal to X. He was still a good hunter. Still, Shepherd made Echo uneasy. Maybe it was the fact that he never really talked. He stared at Shepherd for some time, before realizing Shepherd had changed his armor color. No longer did he have indigo armor. It was now black. He now had shoulder guards, and overall, most of his armor parts seemed bulkier. Echo looked back down to the journal log, and started reading again.

Meanwhile, Killian sat in his room, thinking. _How am I going to break it to them? They'll think I'm insane, but sooner or later, I'm going to have to tell them. Even if I tell them, they'll think I'm crazy. Until I show them._

"We all need to talk." Killian had eventually managed to gather Delta, Theta, and Echo, and the four were all standing outside Fifteen's door.

"I don't want to talk." Came the muffled reply.

"We have to. Don't you want to know why you aren't a Maverick if you're supposedly filled with Evil Energy and made up of Bassnium?"

Silence. Then the door slid open, revealing Fifteen. Her hair was a bit messy, and her eyes were almost completely pink from crying. Killian was surprised by how bad she was taking this, but nevertheless, they still had to talk.

"Fine."

As the four entered the room, Fifteen sat back down on her bed. Delta sat down next to her. Theta saw a chair, and sat down. Killian leaned against the wall opposite to Delta and Fifteen. Echo shrugged, doing the same.

"What is it?" Fifteen bluntly asked.

"I don't know how to tell you this, so I'll just show you." Killian replied.

And then, Killian stuck out his arm, palm open. Echo's eyes widened at what he saw. A small, blue ball was floating above Killian's palm. It didn't look solid. It actually looked…gaseous. It even made a hissing sound. Theta was so startled he nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Whoa! What is that thing?" Delta asked, just as surprised as everyone else is.

"This is Pure Energy. This energy combats Evil Energy."

"Where did you get that?" Echo asked, still more startled than confused.

"Space." Killian simply replied. The answer gave a brief, but extremely awkward silence, until Killian broke the silence. "I'm an alien robot. A hundred years ago, an alien named Duo visited Earth. He extracted Evil Energy from our planet and left. But deep in his heart, he knew that he couldn't destroy the Evil Energy all by himself. He constructed me. Though his main ambition for me was to destroy the Evil Energy, he gave me free will as a reploid. In a way, I'm still doing my mission as a Maverick Hunter. Once every single maverick is exterminated, whenever that day will come, I'll leave. Maybe I'll come back. Maybe I'll won't." He let what he said sink in awkwardly. Echo's jaw dropped, which Theta found amusing, even though he had to admit that he was shocked as well.

Delta was the only one who wasn't speechless. "How long have you been a Maverick Hunter?"

"Four years. A few months more than Fifteen."

Fifteen herself finally spoke up. "Speaking of me, mind telling me why I'm not a Maverick now?"

"I'd thought the answer was self-explanatory by now, but if I really have to explain it, then so be it. I knew all along about the capsules. I just didn't know what Maximilian intended to do with them or where they were. After an encounter with The Reaper, I found the locations of the closest capsule. Yours. The Reaper fled. I went to the location of your capsule, extracting the Evil Energy out of your circuits and destroying it. Then I woke you up. Makes sense now?"

Fifteen nodded. "Yeah. I guess it does. I suppose it does explain how you found me and everything. So…thank you."

Killian shrugged. "Sure thing."

Delta then came to a brief realization. "Initially, you were an asshole, and now, you're actually showing…sympathy. Emotion. That kind of reploid stuff."

"Initially, I didn't really trust you, since you were from Repliforce, but I came to trust you a little bit after we stormed into the forest. Anyway, I'm just going to let this sink in. I'll be going for a little walk. I guess I just need some air right now."

It was cloudy outside with very light rain. Killian passed by a coffee shop, getting slightly annoyed when he saw another person with a laptop sitting there. Not once could Killian remember ever passing by a coffee shop and not seeing a person with a laptop there. The Maverick Hunter sighed. He hadn't used his weapons for a while. Maybe he should come back in and begin a training session? Maybe. _How high should I set the threat level? The highest I've ever done is Level 9. Maybe I'll kick it up a notch and take on Level 10. _Killian thought boldly.

Little did Killian know, he was being watched by three reploids. The first reploid was cloaked, and he was following Killian closely, waiting for the perfect time to kill him. The second reploid was tailing the Maverick Hunter, with the same goal as the first reploid. After all, they _were_ working together. The second reploid had chocolate brown hair, brown eyes, light brown armor with bits of his dark blue skintight bodysuit underneath showing. The third reploid had bulky, black armor, and was following Killian via rooftops. He was well aware of the presence of the two other reploids, and he thinking of how to kill them. He just needed to be at the precise moment.

The cloaked reploid met up with the brown-armored reploid. "Ready t-to strike, Fourteen?" He whispered.

"As ready as I'll ever be." The reploid named Fourteen replied.

The cloaked figure nodded. "Once I get him in front, flank him from behind. Under-Understood?"

"Affirmative."

"O-Okay. Moving i-in."

The third reploid took out his armor-piercing sniper rifle. Though he was aware of the cloaked reploid's presence, he couldn't exactly see him. So he aimed at Fourteen, who was walking straight toward the unsuspecting Maverick Hunter.

The cloaked figure snuck up in front of Killian, slamming his fist into his face. Killian fell to the ground, startled. The reploid uncloaked, revealing himself to be a ninja reploid, similar to Ares. Except this ninja was smaller in stature, had two buster shots instead of beam sabers, and had slightly lighter armor.

"ERROR. W-Welcome to die!"

Killian jumped up, prepared to fight, though he was unaware of Fourteen. He raised an eyebrow at how the ninja reploid talked. It stuttered as if it had a glitch in its systems. "Who are you?"

"I-I am Hermes. I will destroy you—destroy you."

"Fat chance, dickhead."

"Wrong."

The mysterious reploid fired his sniper rifle, the armor-piercing bullet flying into Fourteen's arm, who screamed in pain. The black armored reploid jumped off the building, landing on the ground somehow unharmed on his feet. Fourteen glanced to the left, seeing the reploid, who was wearing a black helmet with a V-shaped visor on it.

"Who…who are you?" Fourteen barked. There was no reply. This annoyed Fourteen. He hated idiots like these. "I'LL KILL YOU!" Then he lunged towards the reploid, ignoring Killian and Hermes.

Killian decided that the ninja would be too agile to be hit by a beam saber, so the alien robot activated his buster arm cannon, shooting several shots at Hermes, who deftly dodged them.

"You'll need more th-than that, f-friend." Hermes cockily said, putting on a small grin.

"Oh, shut up." Killian got into a ready stance, charging his buster.

Meanwhile, the helmeted reploid unequipped his rifle, getting into a fighting stance. Fourteen grinned like an insane reploid, activating his buster. He shot at the mysterious reploid with startling speed, though the reploid jumped over the energy pellets with ease, landing right behind Fourteen, before jabbing his buster arm into Fourteen's back, firing.

Hermes dashed towards Killian, who put his arms up, ready. Or, he thought he was ready. The ninja reploid swung his fist around. Killian felt the fist…go through his arms like a breeze of wind, and smash into his face like a cinderblock. And then Hermes wasn't there anymore. Then the poor Maverick Hunter felt a charged shot rip into his back, knocking him forward. Under normal circumstances, Killian would've been able to perform a roll, and jump up immediately, but this…Hermes character was anything but normal.

Fourteen took his own shot like it was nothing, immediately jumping back up. The helmeted reploid then fired a semi-charged shot at the Maverick, who swiftly sidestepped out of the way. Growling, Fourteen drew his beam saber. As he swung the saber around, a wave of energy flew from the saber. To be precise, a Hadangeki, though it still leaned closer to Colonel's projectile attack.

The energy wave came at the helmeted reploid too fast, though the strange reploid managed to hold his ground, only stumbling backwards a bit. Fourteen grinned, dashing towards his opponent. Fourteen raised his saber upwards, and his saber blade was engulfed in flames. Essentially, he performed a Ryuenjin. But Fourteen's mistake was that he underestimated his enemy. The helmeted reploid jumped backwards, dodging the attack, charging his buster at the same time. As Fourteen landed onto the ground, the helmeted reploid bashed his buster hand into the brunette, before jabbing the cannon into Fourteen's stomach, before firing a fully charged shot.

The fight didn't last much longer. At this rate, had the helmeted reploid not helped Killian, either the ninja reploid Hermes or Killian himself would've collapsed to exhaustion. Hermes was taken by surprise. The mysterious reploid fired a carefully aimed charged shot, ripping through Hermes's head. The ninja's lifeless body collapsed onto the ground, sizzling with electricity.

Killian glared at his potential ally. "Who are you?"

The reploid took off his helmet, tossing it aside, revealing himself to be Shepherd of the 17th Elite Unit. "Self-explanatory. Don't you think, Killian?" Shepherd spoke finally, slightly surprising Killian.

Killian was surprised, though not too shocked to be speechless. "Why were you following me?"

Shepherd smiled. It gave Killian an uneasy feeling. "A lone target is an easy target. If you haven't already guessed, I was the one at the party who shot those guards in the legs. And when Echo had his little date with the human mechanic Kayla, he fought Ares. If not for me and my EMP launcher, Echo would have perished. You have me to thank for these things."

Killian took a deep breath, letting this sink in. "I'm surprised HQ didn't send backup for me, considering the amount of damage done in the area."

"Echo's on his way. I'll need to tell him everything too, I suppose."

Killian shrugged. "Maybe. Come on. Maybe we can meet Echo along the way."

As if on que, the black-clad Maverick Hunter arrived to the scene on a Ride Chaser, swerving to a stop. Echo stepped off it, surprised to see Shepherd next to Killian. "Shepherd? You're with the 17th Elite Unit. What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story, Echo. I'll tell you soon enough. For now, you can know that I was the one who shot the EMP wave at Ares in your first encounter, and the one who crippled the guards back in the party. That's that in a nutshell."

The Maverick Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Okay. We need to report back to base. Come on. Let's go."

"So, all along, Shepherd had been following us on our missions?" Delta asked. The Special 0 Unit gathered in Echo's room, discussing today's events.

Echo nodded. "Well, that's what Killian and Shepherd say, anyway. They could be fucking with us. You never know."

Killian rolled his eyes in a flash of annoyance. "Anyway, these two Mavericks weren't any ordinary Mavericks. One was a ninja reploid. Similar to the one Echo fought named Ares back on his 'little date.' The one I fought was named Hermes. The other Maverick…" Killian hesitated to complete his sentence.

Fifteen persisted. "Who was the other Maverick, Killian?"

Theta raised an eyebrow, staring at Killian's hesitant expression. "Spill it."

Killian sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Fine. The Maverick, who is apparently alive and being questioned at the moment by Commander X, is named Fourteen."

Fifteen blinked, instantly regretting insisting that Killian tell her who the Maverick was. Still, she couldn't let this get to her. "So, essentially, Commander X is interrogating my brother?"

The alien reploid nodded. "Yes." He simply replied.

Fifteen sighed, though Delta placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She didn't push him away. "Well, if I'm the last one, then there's gotta be Thirteen, Twelve, Eleven, Ten, and so on. Why was Fourteen just here?"

"Well, it's been four years. By then, The Reaper could've absorbed the Evil Energy from a few bodies. But even with the Evil Energy drained from their systems, they were still operational. Maybe Maximilian uses this to his advantage. Maybe Fourteen was one of those who had the Evil Energy drained. And since I drained the Evil Energy from you, there are about 10 remaining reploids out there with the Evil Energy inside them." Killian explained, a blank expression on his face.

"Now that I think about it, why doesn't Maximilian just tell The Reaper where the locations of the capsules are?" Theta asked.

"Well, I'm guessing The Reaper has to move on foot. Must be a pain in the ass. Or feet." Echo replied.

Delta rolled his eyes, before shifting his attention back to Fifteen. "So…you want to speak to Fourteen or something after the interrogation's over with?"

The blonde Maverick Hunter shrugged. "What is there to talk about? Still, he's my brother. But the fact that Maximilian is essentially my father disgusts me. And that I was only created to be a weapon…I just…I don't know."

Theta then spoke up. "Correction: You were originally designed to be a weapon, but with the mind of a reploid, you can be so much more. Maybe Commander Zero will eventually retire or something and pass over the rank of Commander to you. Family means a bit less to reploids. Just a little bit."

"Speaking of family, do you have any reploid siblings, Theta?" Echo asked curiously.

Theta nodded. "Yeah. I have a scientist brother, Zeta. Got a little sister, Beta. I also had an older brother named Eta. He was the oldest. I liked him, but he always seemed…arrogant. Always wanted power. Eventually, he was engulfed in the desire for power that he…disappeared. He left the family. And I haven't seen him ever since. I've had more than enough time to get over it. It's been 4 years after all."

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><p>I believe this is the longest chapter. This is the only chapter I can think of right now that has over 3,000 words. Damn. Still, I'd really, really, really, REALLY like some reviews. Please? Pretty please? Please?<p> 


	20. More Than A Weapon

Redemption  
>Chapter 20: More Than A Weapon<br>**DISCLAIMER: My character belongs to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.  
>AN: I'm really trying to write as much as possible here. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to finish this by the end of the year. Or maybe not. We'll see.**

"Alright, I guess I'll speak to Fourteen, although I really don't know what to talk about. We may be siblings, but what will I learn from him that X hadn't already learned." Fifteen was a bit annoyed at herself, though she tried to stay optimistic. It wasn't that easy.

"Well, it's still worth a shot." Delta replied

"Like I said, I guess I'll do it." Fifteen said, before kissing Delta's cheek. The gold-clad Maverick Hunter was surprised by this. This was the first sign of affection she'd shown him ever since that fateful night.

Fifteen entered the interrogation room. The room had blue walls, and the floor was white, along with a table, and two chairs in the center. Fourteen sat down, still as a statue. He considered breaking out, but that fool Killian would've easily stopped him. And Shepherd.

Fifteen sat down across from Fourteen, eyeing him. "Who are you?"

"Don't you already know that, sis?"

Fifteen was surprised. He already knew that they were siblings? Meh. It doesn't really matter. The point was, he misinterpreted the question. Fifteen shook her head. "No. Who are you? What are you?"

"Weapon of war, reploid, Fourteen. What more do you want to know from me?"

"Well, assuming Commander X already asked you all the questions, I'd like to ask them myself. Do you have the Evil Energy inside of you?"

Fourteen chuckled as if she told a joke. "If I had Evil Energy inside me, you'd all be dead by now, dumbshit."

The female narrowed her eyes, slowly getting annoyed by her brother's overconfident personality. Confidence is good when it works, but overconfidence can get you killed. At least, that's what Commander Zero said anyway. And God forbid Zero is ever wrong. She pressed forward. "Who sent you and why?"

Fourteen sighed, hesitantly responding. "Daddy sent me. He also got me a playmate and we played a little game we liked to call Kill the Maverick Hunters."

"That's it?"

Fourteen snickered slightly. The female was starting to question his brother's sanity. Or mental stability. Whichever works better.

"You're smarter than you look, sis. I'll give you credit for that. No. I lied. Well, Daddy still sent me, but the reason he sent me was because he wanted Hermes and I to capture Killian. Brainwash him. What a valuable asset he would've been."

Fifteen nodded. "But Shepherd stopped you."

"No shit. Shepherd's a lot stronger than he looks. Maybe we should've considered capturing him instead." The brunette said, now scowling.

Fifteen raised an eyebrow, resting her elbows on the table, leaning forward. "You can't hurt anyone anymore…brother." She felt disgusted calling him that, but it was true. She couldn't deny that they were siblings, but she could deny that they were alike.

"Not until you terminate me. You wouldn't do that, would you, sis?"

"Killing's in my programming. It's in all of ours, isn't it, Fourteen?"

The male nodded. "Yes. Yes, it is. You still don't have the balls to pull the trigger on me if it comes to that."

Fifteen resisted the urge to facepalm. Either he had a bad sense of humor or he was just plain stupid. Fifteen preferred the latter. "I've only known you existed for about an hour. I haven't connected with you in any way at all. That makes it easier."

"I'm as good as dead here anyway. Make my day."

"I'll have to ask if I can do that. Plus, you could be holding something back from us. Until then, Commander Signas will be deciding your fate."

"Even if I die, I want to ask you something, sis." Fourteen leaned closer, putting his elbows on the table as well. This prompted Fifteen to lean back a bit, resting her hand on her saber.

"What is it?"

"What are you fighting for? Are you fighting for yourself? For Delta? For Commander Zero?"

Fifteen blinked. "I fight for all of the above. And for the good of mankind. I fight to rid dipshits like you. Need I say more, dipshit?"

"Aww, you done hurt my feelings, girl!" The brunette grinned. The grin looked like high class, genuine evil. It made Fifteen uneasy at first, though she took a deep breath, glaring at her brother.

"You are such a child. I'm going to kill Maximilian. And The Reaper. I'll do that. I'll do that for everyone. The world doesn't need to be reset."

Fourteen snorted. "Easy for you to say. You're a dumbass."

If not for the calm and collected traits for Fifteen, she would've hit her brother. Luckily, she easily kept her cool, raising an eyebrow. "Me? Heh. That's funny. The ones who one to reset the world are generally considered the bad guys."

"So what if I'm a bad guy? I'm just born evil, aren't I? I'm Daddy's Little Devil." The Maverick said, smirking. His sister gritted her teeth, much to his amusement.

Eventually, Fifteen decided there's no further use in talking to Fourteen, so she left. _What a fucking waste of time. Meh. Oh, well. Like I said, it was worth a shot. I hope Commander Signas decides to kill him. Fourteen's a walking destruction bringer. Wait. What about the rest though?_

Fifteen decided to clear her head with a training session. As she entered the training room, she met up with Killian, and the two worked on teamwork, just like when Delta first joined.

Meanwhile, Delta got himself a cup of water. It didn't really do that much for him, but he didn't care. Maybe now, he could rest. He really didn't feel like training right now. Funny how slow time can go sometimes. It had only been 8 hours since the school infiltration and the interrogation of Decker. But it felt like a week.

_Now, is she really serious about this relationship? Because that kiss makes me rethink the possibility that we might've done was casual sex. I guess I'll really buy a gift for Fifteen. Maybe I'll borrow some money from Kayla just to be sure._

He sighed, suddenly remembering something. The side mission. Days ago, Zero had told Delta about the possibility that there was a traitor among the Maverick Hunters, leaking information to Maximilian. Or his puppet, The Reaper. Still, what was he going to do about that side mission? Stalk fellow Maverick Hunters who strike him as suspicious? Hell no. Too boring. Too tiresome. Pass.

Days passed. Not much happened. New training drones were shipped to the Maverick Hunters HQ. Echo was still lazy. Shepherd still put on the strong, silent type act. Killian acted like nothing happened. Echo went on another date with Kayla. Delta borrowed some money from Kayla, but he was still thinking of what to buy for her.

_Well, damn. I want the gift to be a surprise, though I don't know what to get her. Maybe I should get her a couple of flowers or something. Something romantic, at least._

Deciding he had enough money to buy those flowers, Delta left the HQ, walking towards the nearest flower shop. He felt a bit awkward, but he sucked it up. _Hmm…some classic roses? Maybe. Orchids? No, orchids are funeral flowers. Meh. Roses._

Delta purchased a bouquet of roses, and the clerk made a horrible joke about how Valentine's Day wasn't until a few months, but Delta chuckled for the heck of it. He thanked the clerk, and left. _Jesus. Am I really doing this? Buying flowers for the second-in-command of the squad? Geez._

Honestly, Delta felt stupid carrying around these flowers for someone he loved. He took his mind off it, returning to HQ. On slow days like these, they were allowed to leave whenever they felt like it. The receptionist was reading a newspaper, not noticing Delta at all, saving the golden reploid the embarrassment.

_Now that I think of it, how much have I actually connected with Fifteen? Not that much. Still, I'm just a lovebird, and I'm in love Apparently, she feels the same._

Feeling stupid or not, Delta took a deep breath, knocking on Fifteen's door. As the blonde opened the door, she managed a small smile. "Hey."

"Hey. Can I come in?" Delta asked, holding the bouquet behind his back. Hopefully, she wouldn't notice. She didn't notice. The second-in-command only nodded.

"Sure." Fifteen stepped aside. Delta noticed she was shaking a little bit. Probably from that talk with Fourteen. What else?

Delta took a deep breath. "I…I bought you a little something." He handed the bouquet to Fifteen, who silently laughed.

"Now, you decide to come around? Thanks. Where'd you get the money?"

"Borrowed it from Kayla."

"Borrowed, or stolen?" Fifteen asked, smirking.

The male shrugged. "Borrowed. I asked for it. She gave it to me. It really wasn't that much. Only about 65 dollars. Not that much."

Fifteen raised an eyebrow, nodding. "Huh. Well, thanks."

Delta decided to bring up the topic that Fifteen probably would've preferred not to talk about. "So, how did the talk with Fourteen go?"

Fifteen hesitantly replied after sighing. "Well, if Killian never woke me up, and if I was a puppet of Maximilian, I would've been just like my brother. Stupid. Weak-willed. Well, weak in general. Insane. Imagining myself like him, I…I just can't…"

"Sorry I brought it up." Delta said sympathetically.

The blonde shook her head. "No, it's okay. Still, I hope Commander Signas decides to kill that abomination of my brother…"

Delta couldn't really blame her. He'd think the same thing if he were in her shoes, so he nodded along. Fifteen continued on talking. "Fourteen reminds me of the concept of the reploid race. Why do we exist? Are we just toys? Weapons of war? In the humans' minds, we're nothing more than a big nuisance. If reploids didn't exist, Mavericks wouldn't exist. I guess the world would be a better place."

The gold-clad Maverick Hunter shook his head. "Don't think that. Some of us may have caused pain and suffering to the humans, but that's why the Maverick Hunters exist. We're here to bring a bright future to the humans."

Fifteen glared at Delta. "This is the real world, Delta. Not a fairy tale where the ending is a happy one where you hold my hand and kiss me and everything is right. In the end, something's going to happen. Something big. In the end of it all, humans will hate us."

Delta could only shrug. "Maybe, maybe not. One thing is for certain. If humans aren't arrogant, they'll at least give us credit for trying to give them a bright future."

"In a human's mind, trying isn't enough. You either succeed, or you fail. They're all too arrogant. Sometimes, I wonder if it's all worth fighting for. What am I fighting for? But then, I usually tell myself that this is just Maverick talk and I should just dismiss this theory. But now…what if Fourteen's right?"

"Don't let him get to you…"

"His words echo in my head. He's either lying or he knows more than I do. The latter seems more likely." Fifteen looked down, keeping pessimistic.

Delta sighed. "Please, just be optimistic. Pessimism is…bad. For the…soul."

Fifteen let out a frustrated groan. "You're too optimistic. I'm too pessimistic. Nothing's perfect. And yet, somehow, we managed to fall in love."

"We fell in love a bit too quickly."

_Not in my book, Delta. Not in my history. _Fifteen thought.

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><p>What does the ending mean? Well, you'll understand once I write Cyberspace. If I do actually decide to write it after I finish Redemption. Come on, guys! Why are you people so stubborn! I need reviews! They keep me motivated! Meh. I'll still write anyway.<p> 


	21. The Beginning of the End

Redemption  
>Chapter 21: The Beginning of the End<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

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><p>"Commander Zero!" Theta ran towards the crimson Maverick Hunter in the hallway, trying to catch up to him. Zero turned around, facing Theta.<p>

"What is it?" Zero asked in a curious tone.

"The data I extracted from Decker's office. When are we going to get to overview it?"

"Well, I was planning on looking at the data myself, and then telling you about it, but if you want us to take a look at it together…"

Theta nodded. "Yeah."

Zero nodded back. "Okay. Get the rest of the squad to the briefing room, then."

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><p><strong>Journal Log #169<strong>

**Progress has been slow. But I got to know some interesting abilities you earn if you let the Evil Energy…consume you. Apparently, not only does it make you stronger, faster, and tougher, but in some cases, it could give you telekinesis, mild time travel, and in The Reaper's case, he can communicate with a certain reploid via telepathy. I wonder what'll happen if I get some of that Evil Energy…no. Don't think that. Maximilian will kick your ass…or at least his "master" will. Fucking weirdo.**

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><p>"So, we know that Maximilian has a fortress located roughly 180 miles away from the general location of Abel City. You'd have to reach the fortress either by Ride Chaser or by shuttle. The shuttle would be better, since it can easily fit all of you. I can pilot you there. But we'll need a plan. I don't want you going inside blind." Zero said.<p>

Theta nodded. "What did the blueprints tell us?"

"Well, I haven't actually looked at the blueprints, so I don't know if there's an alternate opening. Since this is a fortress, security will be tight. If I had to guess, there could be hundreds of minions in there. Including the ninja reploids, and if we're unlucky, the rest of Fifteen's family."

Fifteen stiffened slightly, but tried to relax. Killian then suggested a plan. "Maybe we could send a large team, maybe half of the Maverick Hunters in through the front door to deal with security, while we fire a big hole in the middle of the fortress, and continue from there?"

Zero shook his head. "No good. We can't risk that many casualties. Stealth seems to be the best option, but how do you infiltrate a fortress complete with security drones, cameras, and such?"

"Either way, at least one person's going to die," Theta mumbled. Delta was slightly surprised. He always thought of Theta as the optimistic and cheery one.

Now, it was Echo's turn to speak up. "Sir, how about we also bring the 17th Elite Unit with us, and we could go with the idea of firing a hole in the middle of the fortress. One squad could focus power in front, while the other could defend from behind."

"Well…it's very risky. I don't know. X would freak. Being the reploid he is, he'll never accept something like that. He'd want to do all the work himself. Let's look for other alternatives," the commander replied.

The squad studied the fortress for a bit more. Echo thought about asking if Commander X himself really could accompany them, but decided that he'd say no. Delta's mind was blank. Fifteen was still trying to figure something out. As was Killian. Echo stared blankly at the ceiling. Suddenly, an idea sprouted from his mind.

"Guys! When I was fighting Ares, I didn't actually win. Shepherd helped me. He caught Ares by surprise with an EMP launcher. Maybe we could get Douglas to construct a tool to, like, momentarily disable the security systems. Then we take the shuttle to the middle of the fortress, and we cut a hole for us to squeeze into the fortress with our blades. Then we sneak inside."

Killian raised an eyebrow, his eyes in deep thought. Fifteen crossed her arms. Delta shrugged. Commander Zero nodded. "Maybe, but that would take a minimum of about 2 days. Still…"

"Well, let's hope Douglas works well under pressure," Fifteen mumbled.

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><p>Days passed sleepily. Days turned into a week. There were only a few Maverick attacks here and there, but not enough to keep Delta from getting bored. What was taking Douglas so damned long? The Maverick Hunter decided to check up on him. Delta entered the Engineering Room. By now, Kayla was on her lunch break. And Douglas…was sleeping in his chair like the lazy fuck he was.<p>

Delta gently hit Douglas on the head, quickly waking him up. "COOKIE MONSTER! Oh, hey, Delta."

The golden reploid raised an eyebrow at his interesting dreams. "Slacking off the job, Douglas? That device was supposed to have been finished 5 days ago."

"Well, technically 4, since Echo only told me about it the day after you observed the thingy…blueprint thing," the mechanic countered.

* * *

><p>The room was darker than the night. The reploid sat in the shadows. He was one of many who preferred the darkness. Besides, he preferred to keep himself incognito. Maximilian sat across from him.<p>

The strange reploid spoke. "That was a risky move sending Fourteen to do your dirty work. Even with Hermes helping him. You failed horribly, fool,"

"I'm…I apologize, master." Maximilian stuttered.

The reploid sneered at the scientist. "I grow tired of your apologies. The Reaper has been neglecting his duties, I have noticed…"

"He simply refuses to kill Delta. I do not know why."

"Bah! It matters not. Still, how is Neptune doing? What progress has he made?"

"Excellent progress. The data he stole wasn't too useful at first, but eventually, progress became faster and faster. Seems the reason why The Persona consumed…or rather, bonded with Delta, was because he was built with the technology to turn it into a weapon. Like Mega Man X's Variable Weapons System. Dr. Cos—"

"DO NOT SAY THAT NAME!" The reploid roared in fury. "Her father is a fool. She may be intelligent for a human, but mark my words, her greatest creation, Delta, will be retired."

"Maybe he will, but that inferior tool Decker gave them the blueprints to the fortress. They know where it is."

"Kidnap someone. Simple as that." The strange reploid suggested.

"Maybe. By the way, this lab is useless now, since the files have been stolen. We might as well destroy this while we have the chance."

"Fair enough. And I'll keep Neptune and Ares there just in case things get hairy for Neptune by himself."

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><p>If Killian had to describe how the day at the HQ was, he would've said it was too quiet. He was ever on his guard. He was relaxing too much. Granted, it was nice to relax after a few days, but it was too quiet. Something was about to happen. He could only guess what would come in just a few minutes…<p>

Fifteen made her way to the library. She wanted to review the data once more. Maybe she missed something. Maybe she didn't find anything new the 2nd time, but three times the charm, right? Maybe. But…where's the damn data? _I could've sworn I left it on the table yesterday. It's not in the files either. It's like…someone took it? No. Taking data outside the library is forbidden._

And then…a blur? Fifteen saw a…wave pass by her. One split second, Fifteen thought it was a heat wave, but one thing was that she was indoors, and another thing, it wasn't even that hot outside. Probably about 70 degrees. Then the next split second, the white-armored Maverick Hunter realized that a cloaked enemy had passed by her. She swung her fist around her, but she saw the wave, or rather cloaked entity, exit through the door. The blonde followed closely.

Neptune was ready for her. He was among the strongest ninja reploids created by Maximilian. In fact, it seemed that the only one who could best Neptune in a fight was Ares. As the door slid open again, Fifteen was met with an invisible fist to the face. She then fell down, but before she could get up, she felt her stomach being punched. The female groaned in pain, but before Neptune could get another punch, the hunter swung her leg up, kicking Neptune's cloaking device. Then his image flickered. Then the device crackled and died. And Neptune was revealed.

Fifteen jumped up, drawing her saber. "Who the hell are you?"

"My…" Neptune teleported behind Fifteen, slamming the back of his fist into her head.

"Name…" The ninja then teleported in front of her, grabbing her arm, turning around, and slamming her into the ground in front of him.

"Is…" He then teleported in front of Fifteen's head, yanking her off the ground by her hair. The ninja then let go of her hair, quickly grasping her neck with his other hand, holding Fifteen above him.

"NEPTUNE!" In a split-second, Neptune teleported behind Fifteen, but before her body could hit the ground, the ninja appeared behind her, and with lightning-fast speed, punched her in the back, sending her flying about 7 feet down the hallway.

Fifteen was barely able to get back up before the ninja teleported in front of her, grabbing her by the neck again. "Remember my name well." Neptune then released her. However, the second Fifteen landed on the ground, the ninja kneed her in the face, knocking her back down.

Theta just so happened to be watching, and while Fifteen was getting beaten, Theta was charging his buster shot. As soon as Neptune kneed Fifteen, Theta shot a fully-charged shot at the ninja, catching him by surprise.

"Surprise, cockfag!" Theta said confidently.

Neptune groaned as he stood up, glaring at Theta. The ninja teleported in front of Theta, but the Maverick Hunter was prepared. As soon as Neptune appeared in front of him, Theta slammed his pistol into the ninja's helmet, sending him into the ground. And then, Neptune tried a different approach.

The ninja teleported behind Theta, slamming the butt of his saber into the Maverick Hunter's back, knocking him back.

_Y'know, we really could use some upgrades for the security system, _Fifteen thought as she got up while the two were fighting. Fifteen took this opportunity to call for backup. Theta saw this, and went along with the plan, trying to keep Neptune busy as much as he could. As the blonde turned a corner, she accidentally slammed into Delta, knocking him down. Delta had exited to investigate the commosion.

"Fifteen! Wh-what are you doing?"

"DELTA. HOSTILE. NOW." Fifteen said incoherently.

"What? Get off me!"

Fifteen rolled off of Delta, though she grabbed his hand, yanking him back up. "There's a damned fucking ninja-reploid just around the fucking corner, so get your fucking ass off the fucking damned ground and give Theta a hand with the fucking ninja-reploid!"

Delta didn't need any more convincing. He didn't want to see Fifteen any more pissed. He'd almost forgotten she was technically his superior. "Yes, ma'am." He said, trying to keep his cool.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Kayla had just finished repairing the Ride Armor that the 18th Unit had "accidentally" damaged. She groaned, wiping some sweat off her forehead. This was going to be a long day. Now, just need the wrench…where's the wrench? Well, it couldn't have disappeared.<p>

"Where did the damn wrench go?" Kayla asked herself, mystified. Then suddenly, she felt a cold hand cover her mouth. Someone was standing behind her, restraining her.

"Walk with me. And I promise I won't hurt you. Much."

Kayla started trembling, but she knew she was powerless. She had to cooperate with whoever had her, or else she'd die. She couldn't talk, so all she could do was nod.

"Good girl." Ares activated his saber, signaling Kayla to walk outside. She complied, walking towards the door, which slid open.

* * *

><p>Theta lay unconscious on the floor. Neptune was about to make his way to Ares, until Delta drew his Buster Shot Pistol, shooting several pellets at the ninja, who deftly and easily teleported out of the way. The ninja appeared in front of Delta, swinging his fist into the golden Maverick Hunter's face. Before Neptune could attack Delta even more, Fifteen took her saber, slashing at the ninja's heavily armored back. Grunting, the ninja suddenly disappeared.<p>

Delta regained his senses, keeping wary. He swapped his pistol for his saber, activating it. The reploid swung his saber around aimlessly, believing that if Neptune dared to teleport anywhere near Delta, he'd be struck by the saber.

Neptune reappeared at the end of the hallway, activating his N-Buster. He quickly charged up his buster, firing a fully-charged shot at Fifteen, who was barely able to block it at the last second. Stunned for a second by the momentum of the shot, Fifteen was vulnerable for a brief moment. Neptune teleported behind Fifteen, intending to attack her.

The ninja realized that Delta was going for him. With lightning fast speed, the ninja drew his saber, before kicking Fifteen away. The ninja activated his saber, blocking Delta's attack just in time.

Delta forced his saber back, swinging it towards the ninja again, going on full offensive. However, the ninja was ready, and he teleported away. Delta was ready, planning his own strategy. He ducked quickly, narrowly dodging a swipe from Neptune's saber

Delta swung his legs around, sweeping Neptune. In mid-air, the ninja reploid teleported behind Delta, kicking him down. Neptune raised his saber, preparing for the killing blow.

Fifteen made her way to Neptune, thrusting her saber into the back of Neptune's head, effectively terminating him. "Target eliminated, bitch." Fifteen muttered to the object that was now Neptune's dead body.

* * *

><p>Ares pulled out his standard issued Buster Shot, holding it in one hand while restraining the human mechanic with his other arm. He retired anyone who got in his way. And by anyone who got in his way, he meant only one unlucky Maverick Hunter. That certain reploid was Maverick Hunter Erik of the 17th Elite Unit.<p>

Kayla felt like her heart wanted to fly out of her body, beating faster than it ever did in her entire life. Before Ares could safely teleport out of the HQ, he heard a familiar voice. Maverick Hunter Echo.

"Son of a bitch, let Kayla go!"

Ares couldn't help but laugh. What was he going to do about it? "You think you can defeat me, fool? I only gave you a sample of my power in our previous battle. You don't want to know my true power. I suggest you stand down…"

The ninja raised his pistol, resting it against Kayla's head. "…or else she gets it."

Echo stepped back, looking at his choices. Risk Kayla's life and his own life, or—

The Maverick Hunter's train of thought was interrupted by a swift punch that knocked Echo all the way into the wall. Ares snickered. "You can't defeat me. I'll be waiting."

Before Kayla could run away, Ares quickly teleported back to her, grabbing her by the arm. "And you. You're still coming with me."

And then the ninja disappeared along with Kayla.

* * *

><p>DRAMATIC EVENTS! WOO! Now, reviews, pl0x?<p> 


	22. Power

Redemption  
>Chapter 22: Power<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

* * *

><p>"I just know it. The Maverick Hunters will perish once they enter the fortress. Then, we can kill the human, and continue our project." Maximilian stated, putting a hand on his chin.<p>

The unknown reploid crossed his arms, frowning. "Better safe than sorry. I believe that, of all people, you know about a little thing called a plan. They aren't as stupid as you might think. If they do reach you, make sure you're armed or protected. A battle mechaniloid, probably."

Maximilian grunted. His master did have a point. The scientist nodded. "Yes, sir."

* * *

><p>X was always an over-emotional reploid. He was overjoyed when he saw Zero save him during the X-Hunter Incident. He was depressed when Double betrayed him. So, he didn't take the news that Erik died very well. The Maverick Hunter was one of his best hunters, probably second to Shepherd.<p>

Everyone agreed that Mega Man X was an interesting being. Some questioned why he joined the Maverick Hunters if he hated fighting. They found it ironic that the strongest hunter was a pacifistic hunter. But they didn't complain. Made their jobs easier sometimes.

The blue-clad Maverick Hunter sighed. He was sitting in the data library, resting his elbows on his desk. X covered his eyes, feeling a bit tired. He could feel a few tears, but that was all the more reason to cover his eyes. He didn't want his squad to see him break down like this. Not again, at least.

Zero was the opposite of X. He rarely showed any emotion. Well, at least after Iris died. Before that, he seemed slightly more…cocky. Optimistic. Now, he's more determined, focused on any given task, and dark. But that's another story for another time.

X himself felt lonely in this world. Isolated. He sometimes felt that no one understood him. No one was as sensitive as him. His friends thought of that as the trait of a true reploid. A reploid that was very…human. His enemies thought of his sensitive side as a weakness, and used it to their advantage. Or at least tried to, as Double failed miserably.

* * *

><p>Echo was in a similar situation right as X right now. He had failed to save Kayla. Deep down, he cared for the girl more than anything. Anything. He'd absolutely do anything for her. Especially rescue her. Some would think he goes overboard with his beliefs, but that's just him. He lay on his bed in a fetal position, as if he were violated, though he was technically only traumatized that he failed.<p>

His rival, the self-proclaimed "greatest ninja reploid" Ares, had easily bested him in a fight with one punch. The Maverick Hunter found that pathetic for someone like him. Echo clenched his fists. _No. I shouldn't blame myself. I should blame Ares. Arrogant son of a bitch. I'll get him, and I'll rescue Kayla._

* * *

><p>Luckily, Theta made it out without any injuries. Now, Commander Zero and his squad were back in the briefing room, still setting up a plan.<p>

"So…when we beat Maximilian, what do you guys want to do with the fortress?" Zero asked with a seemingly uncaring tone.

Fifteen crossed her arms, the white-armored female frowning. "I say we destroy it. I doubt there's going to be anything inside that will be considered useful. After all, I'm guessing it really is nothing more than just a fortress for the cowards to hide in."

Echo nodded in agreement. Theta shrugged, as if he didn't really care either. The same went for Killian, who kept silent. Delta nodded as well. The commander nodded back at them. "Okay, then."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the scientist Maximilian sat in his chamber, his hands on his table. He frowned in displeasure. The Reaper did almost absolutely nothing in the last few days. First, he refused to kill Delta, so the scientist had to recruit a bounty hunter who failed miserably. Then he didn't care for stealing data from the Maverick Hunter HQ, so he had to get Neptune to do it. The Reaper himself stood in front of Maximilian's table, crossing his arms.<p>

"You wanted to see me, _sir_?" He put the emphasis on the word _sir_, as if Maximilian preferred to be called that, which he did, and made The Reaper call him that. The maverick found it stupid and pointless. _Whatever. It makes him feel good, so I'll let it go for now._

"We've recently captured a human mechanic. Kayla Tucker, according to Ares's report. I want you to interrogate her, see if she has any useful data to give, since Neptune was killed in action."

The Reaper nodded. "Yes, _sir_." Then he walked away.

The human was strapped to a chair with her hands tied behind her back. Maximilian's "master" had bigger plans for her. The Reaper entered the room, standing in front of Kayla, his hands behind his back as if he were starting a formal conversation.

"Ms. Tucker. I'd like to have a little conversation with you."

"W-What do you want from me?" She asked nervously.

"I'm just going to ask a few questions. Answer them honestly, and there will be less pain. Lie, and this could go on forever. The choice is yours. Am I clear?"

Kayla only nodded, too nervous to even speak.

"Good. Now, tell me, what do you think the Maverick Hunters will do? Tell me, what sort of strategy do they intend to use in order to get you back?"

Kayla's heart sank. "I…I don't know."

The Reaper growled. "Worthless!" He slammed a fist into the girl's face, receiving a pained shriek from her, and giving her a bloody nose. "Now, tell me, what kind of strategies do they intend to use?"

"I…I-I think that they were going to…to sneak in through the middle of the fortress or something." Part of Kayla wished she listened to Echo more often, while the other part was happy she didn't listen to Echo.

"Hmm…good enough. See? That wasn't so hard. All you have to do is cooperate. Answer me, and you will be rewarded. Otherwise, you will be punished. Simple as that."

* * *

><p>Zero blinked. He decided to review the plan again, just to be safe. "Okay, here's the plan. While the security system is disabled, you all will sneak in through the middle of the fortress. Echo will carry half of the bombs, since he lacks a ranged weapon. The 19th Power Unit will carry the other half of the bombs, while providing a distraction in the bottom half of the fortress. Once you plant the charges, get the hell out of there. Am I clear?"<p>

Everyone nodded. Zero forced a small smile. "Good."

* * *

><p>Delta decided if he wasn't going to survive this mission, he might as well talk to Fifteen about one small thing. He knocked on her door again, and as it opened, the female's eyes brightened.<p>

"Oh, hey there. How are you?"

"Good. I just kinda wanted to talk. Y'know, to chat one last time in case we don't return."

The white-clad reploid nodded, letting Delta inside. "Sure. It's hard work being pessimistic."

"Well, I wanted to talk about…well, us."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. We've never shown any real signs of…how do I say this without sounding cheesy? Affection. Fuck, that still sounds cheesy."

Fifteen laughed a little. "I get your point. Well, to answer your question, we've never really had time to cuddle, if that's what you're implying."

Delta raised an eyebrow. "You're…getting there, I guess."

The female smiled, shrugging. "What, you feel like we just had casual sex or something?"

"Well, only at first." The golden Maverick Hunter scratched his head, slightly nervous.

"Upsilon said that too. But we had the same problem as you and I do. We just don't have time to cuddle and shit like that. In fact, the only time I remember cuddling with Upsilon was that one Valentine's Day."

Delta cleared his throat. "Anyway, my point is, do you really love me?"

"Of course I do." She said, frowning.

"Then…how did we end up together so quickly? I just don't get it."

Fifteen sighed. "After the mission, I'll tell you everything. I promise. There are some things I haven't told you. It'll help. It'll explain everything. Okay? But now, we need to get ready."

Delta nodded, slightly relieved. "Okay." Then he kissed her.

* * *

><p>About three hours later, the Special 0 Unit and the 19th Power Unit met up in the briefing room. The commander of the 19th Power Unit, Commander Tau, was female, with jet black hair and hazel eyes. She had platinum armor, with a black bodysuit underneath. She frowned, crossing her arms.<p>

One of the members of the 19th Power Unit included Shade, who had spiky brown hair, and red armor with a gray bodysuit underneath. He also had pitch-black eyes. He was quiet, but nowhere near as quiet as Shepherd. He only talked when necessary. Tau's kind of guy.

Another member included Kronos. He was tall, strong, and fast. The perfect soldier. He loved the thrill of fighting, but he was just, and knew when his allies needed help, or if even he himself needed help in something, though this was a rare occurrence. The Maverick Hunter had slim, orange armor plates, and a gray bodysuit underneath.

Icy Gorilla had bulky, sky blue armor and was roughly the same height as Kronos. His strength and durability exceeds his ally's, though he isn't as fast. He possessed two Buster Shot pistols, with an Ice Chip within, hence why he is called Icy Gorilla.

Silver Rex had, well, silver armor, with a few touches of gold and light blue. Despite his name, his back resembles a Stegosaurus's. Even though he was supposed to be a dinosaur in general, he could stand up straight perfectly fine like a humanoid. His tail was only about 6 feet long.

Gaia had long, curly, dark green hair, and dark blue armor plates. Her eyes were purple, and she had a buster built into her arm, which was almost as strong as X's buster. Almost.

Commander Tau frowned. "Are you sure this'll go out the way you planned, Zero?"

Zero scowled. "I easily survived the X-Hunter Incident, the Doppler Incident, the Repliforce Incident, and more. Because of me, my squad managed to survive the assault on Sigma's first fortress. I'm a natural at this. Just take it from X. Sure, we'll have some casualties, but it'll be for a good cause. You, of all people, should know that."

Now, it was Tau's turn to scowl. "Fine. Have it your way. But if any of my troops are killed, it'll be on your head. Do you understand?"

"Crystal." Zero put his hands behind his back, hiding a middle finger. _Whore, _he thought darkly. "If you want to pussy out, Tau, its fine." Zero knew that Tau had high pride, and a massive ego, so these words were the right ones to ensure that she kept to the mission.

"Okay. This is all you. I'll show you I'm not your bitch."

Zero forced a dark smile. "Good. I'll get the shuttle. Be ready in 5 minutes, everyone."

Tau spoke up. "Wait. What's your role going to be in the fortress?"

"Since you're going in through the front door, most of the security will be focused on your squad. That's where I come in. I help you. I'm sure my own squad is perfectly able to take care of themselves, right?"

Fifteen nodded. "Affirmative, sir."

"Good. Any questions?"

"Commander, what about Kayla?" Echo asked.

Zero glared at Echo as if he were a retard. In fact, the red-clad Maverick Hunter sometimes wondered why he picked Echo to be in the Special 0 Unit. "Yes, Echo. We will rescue Kayla. Hostages always come first. Happy now?" Zero said with a sarcastic, yet icy edge.

Echo nodded. "Yes, sir."

_Good, now shut up and stop being so lovey dovey,_ Zero wanted to say, but he kept the words inside. Part of him wished he actually did say it.

* * *

><p>SHIT GETS REAL NAO. WOOO! Ahem…anyway, reviews? Please? Pleeeeeeease? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?<p> 


	23. They're With Me

Redemption  
>Chapter 23: They're With Me<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

Commander Tau took a deep breath, as she and her unit stepped off their Ride Chasers. _That dipshit, Zero. He thinks we need help. Fucking arrogant bastard._

Right now, the fortress's security system was disabled. As the plan went, Tau and her 19th Power Unit marched straight in, causing havoc.

A battle cry.

Then a shout.

Then shooting.

The fortress complex was taken by surprise, though the guards regained their composure, and fought back. Tau shot down structures to take cover behind if needed. Still, it wasn't so bad. Yet.

Zero sighed. When they took off, the red reploid thought he saw a shadow sneak on board the ship, but he found no one. He flew the shuttle over to the fortress, where Echo and Fifteen cut a large hole in it. As the Special 0 Unit snuck inside, Zero flew the shuttle a few feet away, before landing. As he ran out, he hurried to the entrance to help the 19th Power Unit.

As usual, in a place as heavily guarded as a hostile fortress, the Special 0 Unit kept to stealth, though they were in a hurry. The device wouldn't last forever. Still, there would probably be many guards above them who'd be going down to support the other guards down there fighting the 19th Power Unit. Times like these made Delta wish that busters had silenced modes like the old 21st century pistols did.

While the 19th Power Unit weren't having any problems, they pushed on ahead. Meanwhile, Echo would plant about two bombs a floor. There wasn't an elevator; so of course, they had to resort to walking. It would be likely that Kayla would be at the very top of the fortress, since she was being used as bait. Well, that's what Fifteen thought anyway. Echo couldn't really think straight at the moment. Killian was thinking of what he was going to do after this was over. And Delta…well, Delta thought about if the Maverick Hunters were going to let him go. After all, he was forced to join. But what if Delta didn't want to leave? Did he have a say in it? He wanted to stay. For Fifteen, at least. _Oh, great. Now, I'm starting to sound like Echo. What's going on? _Delta thought to himself.

Echo himself felt very uneasy being the one with the bombs. He wasn't very good with a Buster Shot, but he wasn't too bad. He was so-so. Still, it would've been nice to actually have a Buster Shot pistol, instead of having to rely on his squad mates. Not that he didn't trust them. It was just that he felt more comfortable doing things himself. Still, he had Delta, Fifteen, and Killian with him. Three people to watch his back. Everything was going to be cool, right?

Floor after floor, bomb after bomb, and the occasional small group of guards who failed to alert the fortress either because the device was probably still in effect, or they never made it, soon became a little bit repetitive. But even _that_ didn't keep it from being more intense and risky.

Eventually, a significantly larger group of hostiles, around 14, while the others were in packs of 4, bumped into the Special 0 Unit. They all wore dark green armor uniforms, and helmets that covered their entire faces, as if they were clones.

The lieutenant of the group ordered one soldier to go for the alarm. Before Delta could get a chance to shoot him, the rest of the Mavericks opened fire. Echo took a shot to the arm. He groaned in pain, so he tried to be grateful the pellet didn't hit the bombs. Still, it hurt like fuck.

Delta took cover behind the wall from back, where he charged up a shot and fired. The lieutenant got the direct hit and was knocked down, though about 3 seconds later, he painfully stood back up. This gave Delta the impression that his armor was a lot tougher than his grunts' armor.

Killian held his own, as did Fifteen. Echo himself took cover behind some debris from careless architecture. After the lackeys were disposed of, only the lieutenant remained, but he didn't give up. He was a lot tougher than he looked. A lot tougher. He dashed towards Fifteen, slamming his shoulder into her face, knocking her down. The rush stunned Fifteen for a brief moment.

The lieutenant pulled out his own Buster Shot, returning fire to Killian. The lieutenant tried to close in on Killian, before trying to punch him, though the Maverick Hunter swiftly dodged, and countered with a roundhouse kick. Before the lieutenant could recover from the attack, a charged up energy blast slammed into his helmet, killing him.

Delta helped Fifteen up, while Echo and Killian looked back. Shepherd stood there, Buster Shot in hand, smiling. "So, how are you guys?"

Delta shrugged. "Alive. That's all that matters at the moment, I suppose."

Shepherd nodded. "Good, good. You didn't think I'd let you people go without me, did you?"

Echo sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Commander X doesn't know you're here, does he?"

The Maverick Hunter of the 17th Elite Unit pursed his lips, shaking his head. "Nope. I like to do things on my own terms sometimes. As long as I don't get carried away, then sometimes, I believe it's the better way of doing things. Commander X, though powerful, is a softie. If he unlocked his true potential, now, that's a true commander I can respect."

"So, my guess is that you're coming with us?" Killian asked, only making sure. Shepherd merely nodded, crossing his arms. "Alright, then. Let's move out, team."

Echo heard Zero's voice on his headset. Pressing his finger against it, he listened.

"Echo, what's your status? Are you guys alright so far?"

"Yes, sir. So far, so good. No problems so far. What about you?"

"Holding my own. We're also pushing forward, so we might, I repeat, might catch up to you once we take out the guards below you. Over and out."

"Who was that?" Fifteen asked.

"It was Commander Zero. Just checking up our status."

Fifteen only nodded. Shepherd lead the Special 0 Unit, with Killian right behind him, followed by Delta and Fifteen, with Echo at the very back. Though they didn't know this, Shepherd was the second in command of the 17th Elite Unit, explaining his experience as a leader, tactician, and strategist.

The group eventually stopped at a door that was labeled "Creations." Curious, Shepherd walked inside, while the Special 0 Unit followed. There, they saw capsules. 5 capsules, to be exact. 3 were empty. Fifteen was right here. Fourteen was locked away. And another one was right here. Ironically, this one was named One. One may not have been the strongest or fastest reploid, but she was among the smartest of her siblings.

She had beautiful, long, lavender hair, and brown eyes. Her armor was blue, with some details of white. Her left shoulder guard sported the first roman numeral. She was reading a book. The Art of War, by Sun Tzu. A really old book, but still a book, nonetheless.

She looked up, and in alarm, activated her arm cannon. She scowled. Luckily, the golden one and the dark one had Buster Shots, and…what's this? A sister? Well, well, well. The one who ran away. Fifteen. Ooh! And what do we have here? _Hmm, a little boy carrying bombs. He shouldn't play with dangerous things like that. Still, I have to fool them into thinking that I'm defenseless. Then I'll spring the trap…_One thought to herself.

"Who are you people?"

"I'm the Grim Reaper," Shepherd replied, shooting three shots at the Maverick, who ducked. She aimed for Echo, but she couldn't while Delta was firing at her. And then there was Fifteen to worry about. Wait a minute. One jumped up in the air, dodging the incoming shots. As she landed in front of Fifteen, she kicked her blonde sister in the stomach, knocking her into a console. Fifteen's back slammed into a button. The button awoke Five.

Five was like One. Five was the Jack of All Trades, while One was well, the Jacqueline of All Trades. They were very alike. Except their appearance. Five had spiky black hair, and had black armor, with a silver bodysuit and a slightly lighter shade of black for his breast and shoulder pads. Alarmed at seeing One in trouble, he burst through the glass capsule holding him, activating his own arm cannon.

"Well, well. Intruders?"

One nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, then…" Five wasted no time. He rushed into Killian, knocking him into another console. This activated Eight, who was so buff that he looked like he was more than a match for Kronos. The Maverick Hunter, of course. Eight smashed the glass with a mere punch, and jumped out. Delta shoved himself and Echo out of the way, where Eight landed just seconds later. Echo ran out of the room momentarily, depositing his bombs in a safe place so he won't get blown to hell.

Fifteen took on One, while Five fought Delta, and Eight battled against Shepherd and Killian. Echo decided to help Delta, because Five was giving him a little bit of trouble. The black-clad Maverick Hunter activated his wrist blades, running over to Five, who heard Echo's footsteps, so therefore, anticipated him. Five rolled to the side, where Delta bent his upper torso, narrowly dodging Echo's slice. Before Echo could apologize, Five kicked him in the groin, stunning him temporarily. Delta drew his saber, while Five quickly drew his. "En garde, motherfucker!" Five said, grinning.

"Et j'ai pensé à mon commandant avait un gros ego," Delta said, which was French for _And I thought my commander had a big ego._

Five responded with a swift strike to the hip, with Delta easily blocked. Getting the sensation that his opponent was toying with him, Delta thought of a plan. He swung at Five's head, though the strike was blocked, as Delta had anticipated. While their sabers were locked, Delta slammed his foot into Five's ankle. While the Maverick was distracted by the pain, Delta head-butted his enemy.

Five grunted in pain, holding his face. Before Delta could advance in on him, Five performed a side kick, slamming Delta away. Five nearly forgot about Echo. Nearly. When Echo tried to stab Five from behind, the Maverick jumped in the air, landing right behind Echo, who swung his arm around, blocking a saber swipe.

Five raised his arms, preparing to strike. However, Delta, who had come back to his senses, fired a charged shot at Five's hands, the impact of the shot literally sending Five's hands off his arms. While the Maverick was screaming in pain, Echo rammed his wrist blades into Five's eyes, instantly killing him.

With Five dead, Delta and Echo decided to help Shepherd and Killian, while Fifteen was actually having a bit of trouble with her sister. She underestimated One, which was a mistake that would take some time to recover from. One was one of the better trained ones, though she excelled in speed more than strength.

Fifteen and One locked their beam sabers together, wrestling for the upper hand. One tried to move her saber down towards Fifteen's hands to cut them off, but then, the Maverick Hunter recoiled away, taking several steps back. One scowled, putting on a more defensive stance, deciding to counter Fifteen's next attack.

Fifteen knew her sister's strategy, and feinted left, tricking One. After she feinted left, Fifteen then swung her saber to the right, slicing her saber diagonally. The saber not only cut One's hand off, but also her right leg. Though One survived, it was doubtful she was going anywhere.

Now, everyone was focusing on Eight. His armor was so tough that the charged shots had no effect. Maybe if a blade cut through…maybe. While Eight was distracted by Delta, Shepherd, and Killian, Echo made his way around Eight, jumping onto his back. Activating his wrist blades, Echo started slicing at Eight's armor, which was easier said than done. The helmet was just as strong as his body armor. Eight growled, grabbing Echo from behind and throwing him into Shepherd. Killian fired another charged shot at Eight, though as predicted, it had no effect. Delta tried aiming for the face, but he couldn't get a clear shot.

Fifteen approached from behind, repeatedly stabbing Eight's armor, so she only made small dents. Killian grunted, having had enough of this crap. Though it wasn't clear under his visor, Killian's eyes began to glow blue, and his hands started emitting a blue energy. Pure Energy. He started chanting in an alien language, and then he fired beams of Pure Energy at Eight, while Fifteen rolled safely out of the way. The impact of the blast knocked Eight through the wall. The wall didn't lead into another room. It lead outside. In here, they were probably about 74 feet in the air. And no one could have survived a drop like that. Not even Eight.

Fifteen walked over to One, scowling in disgust at her sister. "Who are you?"

"Don't you already know the answer, sis?"

"Very well. If you're my sibling, then why are you here? Aren't you all supposed to be trapped in capsules or something?"

"We're the reploids that The Reaper already found. And you. We were all waiting for you to come home. To reunite with us. Come on. It's not too late. You know in your heart that you must follow your master. Your father, Maximilian."

Fifteen shook her head. "Hell no. I made my choice long ago." Then she killed her sister.


	24. A Score to Settle

Redemption  
>Chapter 24: A Score to Settle<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom. Sheesh, if Capcom decided to sue everyone who wrote a single fic that didn't have a disclaimer; they probably wouldn't even need to FUCKING MAKE AN UPDATE TO FIGHTING GAMES ANYMORE. You fucking douchebags.  
>AN: I'm doing the chapters like a Mega Man game fortress, in a sense that I end the chapter/stage after the boss, or bosses, are defeated.**

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><p>Now, things were getting really heated. The 19th Power Unit and Zero were starting to have trouble distracting the damned Mavericks. Emphasis on the phrase "starting to." <em>Now, they're really starting to piss me off, <em>Zero thought, slashing a guard's head off, _But it's nothing I can't handle. Yet._

Delta, Shepherd, Killian, Fifteen, and Echo made their way further up. Fifteen was quieter than usual, and it was obvious why. But there wasn't any time for Delta to comfort Fifteen. They had a job to do. Echo recovered the bombs, and they were quickly on their way after the Mavericks were killed.

Ares was on Echo's mind. He wanted to settle the score, and beat him. Though he was nervous about his odds. Sure, he had his friends to back him up, but the only reason Echo survived his first fight was because Shepherd shot the EMP blast at Ares. But just recently, the black-armored Maverick Hunter was easily beaten by the ninja, who was carrying Kayla.

And then there was Kayla. Echo had three priorities. To save Kayla, to defeat Ares, and to blow this fortress to hell. Occasionally, they'd stop to take a breather, and for Echo to plant and arm the bombs. Whatever Killian shot at Eight, it really drained the energy out of him. They had to take slightly longer breaks because Killian was fatigued, not that anyone complained.

They actually enjoyed these longer breaks. This mission had a lot of pressure, but even now, there still wasn't a lot of time to relax. They still had important objectives. Rescue the damsel in distress, beat the bad guys, and blow the fortress to hell. The fortress was now on full alert. Not only were the hundred security guards aware of the 19th Power Unit, but also the Special 0 Unit. And they weren't holding back, making it just a bit harder for them.

Still, the Special 0 Unit pressed on as hard as they could. Theta thought they could've used some inspirational battle music or something. But that was just him. Meanwhile, The Reaper was waiting for them. In another room, he stared at the wall, hands behind his back. He started to communicate with Delta again.

_**Delta.**_

_I'm here to end this. You're not stopping me._

_**Or can I? We'll see soon. Now, answer this question. Do you really think you're any better than me? Look at how many lives you've taken.**_

_I know my limits. And I know what I've done. But unlike you, I do this for a good cause._

_**What cause is really the good one?**_

_The one that doesn't try to control the world for his own damned selfish reasons, or the one who manufactures reploids, only to abuse their power and bring them misery._

_**The only miserable one is Fifteen. She should've stayed with us, had Killian not interfered.**_

_I feel like…you already know Killian._

_**Indeed. More than you think, as you will soon find out…**_

_You can't stop me._

_**I won't kill you, but that doesn't mean I won't hurt you.**_

Then it ended. The conversation ended abruptly, but Delta knew immediately when it ended. And he was ready. He was determined to defeat The Reaper and Maximilian. He was determined to redeem himself. This was his biggest chance. His best chance at redemption. He'd better not screw it up.

Abel City, if not the world, depended on the Maverick Hunters. The 19th Power Unit and Zero were also trying their best. Kronos was acting like he hadn't had this much fun in years. Tau wasn't as confident, but she was as competent as Zero. Gaia and Shade watched each other's back well. Icy Gorilla and Kronos were actually having a competition to see who would kill the most Mavericks until the mission was over.

In the upper regions of the fortress, Maximilian scowled. The production rate of his security reploids were starting to slow down. His defense was going down. He _had _to finish his battle suit before the Maverick Hunters reached him. Just a little more finishing touches…yes! The Master will be pleased! _There's no way the Special 0 Unit can stand up to my ultimate creation! My hypothesis is that The Reaper would barely be able to survive my killing machine! BRING IT ON, FOOLS!_

Eventually, the Special 0 Unit reached a ginormous room. What made it huge was that most of it was a revolving staircase that lead to another room. Fifteen grunted in frustration, while Echo sighed. Killian scowled, Delta blinked, and Shepherd stretched his legs.

"Come on. We won't die from leg failure." Killian said.

"THAT would be anti-climactic." Echo responded.

Shepherd rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Echo. Let's roll out."

"Right behind you, Shepherd." Fifteen said.

In the uppermost chamber of the fortress, Maximilian's master opened his palm, staring at a ball of projected Evil Energy. It wasn't the Maverick Hunters that made him nervous. It was Killian. And his Pure Energy powers. _So he's finally come. We'll see which energy is the stronger._

Fearing that Ares wouldn't be able to take the entire squad by himself, Maximilian sent a little friend by the name of Poseidon, who was also a ninja reploid. Maximilian still felt uneasy about the odds, but even if the ninjas lost, it'd delay their defeat, and give the scientist a moment to rest. If he were human, he would've seriously appreciated a whiskey.

Echo didn't really bother putting more than 1 bomb in the staircase, since he was running low. As they reached the end of the stairs, they were met by none other than Ares and Poseidon, who looked identical to Neptune.

"Okay, this is getting really irritating." Theta whined.

Echo didn't say anything. He stared at Ares, scowling. Under his mask, Ares smirked. The ultimate battle between the rivals, while his friend distracts the rest of the Special 0 Unit. Ares longed to finally kill Echo, this one annoying, and irritating Maverick Hunter.

"We meet again, and for the last time, Maverick Hunter Echo."

"Yeah. Sure. As long as you don't pussy out."

"I've nowhere else to run, fool. This is where it ends. Now, welcome to your death!"

"I'm not dying today. Just you."

Echo and Ares dashed towards each other. Before the other members of the squad could react, Poseidon teleported on top of Fifteen, his feet on her shoulders. Fifteen tried to throw him off, but Poseidon was too well-balanced. He jumped in the air, kicking the blonde in the face, knocking her down.

Killian tried to surprise the ninja with a slash to the back, but Poseidon was far too fast. He merely teleported behind Killian, elbowing him in the head, effectively stunning 2 Maverick Hunters within 10 seconds.

Shepherd and Delta weren't fooling around, though. Delta held a Buster Shot in one hand, and a saber in another. Shepherd clutched his own saber tightly, his eyes narrowed. Poseidon chuckled, teleporting behind Shepherd, wrapping his arms around his neck, attempting to strangle the reploid. Well, reploids could breathe in the ocean just as well as on the land, so Poseidon trying to rip Shepherd's head off would sound more accurate. "Trying" being the key word.

Shepherd rammed his head backwards, slamming it into Poseidon's face, though the ninja persevered. Shepherd jumped back, slamming Poseidon into a wall, temporarily stunning him. The Maverick Hunter took this time to stab the Maverick, who barely managed to teleport out of the way.

Echo activated his wrist blades, slashing forward, only to find nothing. The immediate second he realized Ares teleported out of the way, he instinctively ducked, unknowingly dodging a slice to the neck. Echo swept his legs in a 360, catching Ares by surprise. As soon as the ninja hit the ground, Echo hopped on top of the opponent, stabbing him in the chest.

Sadly, that wasn't Ares's weak spot. His chest was one of his strongest armor parts, if not his very strongest. The damage wasn't serious at all. Ares chuckled a bit, teleporting away. He sat on Echo's back, gently putting a fist in front of his face, as if he were thinking. Echo growled, standing up roughly in an attempt to knock him off, but Ares deftly teleported yet again.

"Coward," Shepherd mumbled.

Unfortunately for the ninjas, they had a limited time they could teleport. However, it would take about 90 seconds before they'd be able to teleport again. The Special 0 Unit underestimated Poseidon's sword skills. The ninja actually possessed two sabers at once, intimidating Theta a bit. Everyone else stood their ground.

Theta took a quick breath, dashing towards Poseidon, feinting left, before throwing a right slash to his leg. Poseidon saw through the feint, and quickly blocked the right slice. He shoved Theta away, ducking under a horizontal slash from Fifteen. The female jumped back, giving herself some space between herself and the ninja.

Behind Poseidon, Killian charged his arm cannon, firing his charged shot at the ninja, who got caught in surprise. The force of the shot surprised the ninja, who was also met with a stab to the chest from Theta. Poseidon growled, grabbing the Maverick Hunter by his hand, nearly crushing it.

The ninja was slowly losing his edge, however. After headbutting Theta, he teleported behind Shepherd, wrapping his arm around the reploid's neck. In his other arm, he pulled out five armor-piercing shuriken. "Stay where you are or you die."

Everyone aimed their guns at Poseidon, but they were at a stalemate. If they so much as moved a single step, the ninja would kill Shepherd. Delta tried to aim for the Maverick's head, but Poseidon quickly tossed one of his shuriken at Delta's gun, destroying his Buster Shot pistol.  
>"Well, that sucks."<p>

Before Poseidon could throw the rest of his shuriken, Echo's body flew almost out of nowhere and crashed into the ninja, whose shuriken flew out of his hand. Shepherd took this opportunity and activated his beam saber, turning around and leaping towards Poseidon, thrusting his saber into his face.

Echo quickly recovered, just in time too, because he quickly had to dodge a strike from an unforgiving Ares. He grunted, leaping backwards to get some space. But he momentarily forgot Ares's teleportation ability. As the ninja suddenly appeared in front of him, Echo fell down in surprise, dodging a few attacks unknowingly.

As soon as Echo jumped back up, his wrist blades immediately met Ares's saber, and they wrestled for victory. However, Ares was clearly the stronger, and he started to slowly push Echo down. The Maverick Hunter tried to hold his ground, but he gave in, and fell down. The ninja prepared to thrust his saber, prepared his kill.

And then the maverick's head came flying off. Ares's lifeless body sank to the ground. Delta stood there, saber tight in his grip. He helped his friend up, before realizing a nearby computer. "Huh. I never noticed that."

"What?"

Delta pointed in the direction of the console. "That." He walked over to it, and saw seemingly useful information. Seemingly. However, what he found wasn't that useful, but a bit informative. Poseidon was actually a repaired and reprogrammed version of Neptune, who in turn was actually something called a StarDroid.

Delta raised an eyebrow, mystified, until Killian decided to shed some light on that. "The StarDroids were alien robots who attacked the Earth about a century ago. They were defeated by the original Mega Man. Maximilian must've found one of them…but now, we have a job to do. Come on."

Delta nodded. "Yeah. Alright."

But before the team could advance further, the computer beeped. Delta looked back curiously, and walked back over to it. When he read the words "The Persona," he instantly got interested. It wasn't much of a problem to him. Yet, at least, but he didn't want to stick around to know when it'd get worse, if it does.

"Wait a minute, guys…I think we should take a breather here."

No one complained. Echo took the bodies of Poseidon and Ares and threw them down the staircase. Delta stared at the machine, reading the text, wondering where it had come from. Then he saw a pad on the computer, and realized he put his hand on it the first time he examined it. Maybe it recognized something on him? Whatever the reason, he didn't complain.

_The Persona will consume you. It's been with you this entire time. Your creator was aware of this, and installed a program to counter the effects of it. But it can only do so much, and now, it's acting up. Inside is a program you must download in order to destroy the Persona forever._

Delta was shocked, scared, speechless, whatever. It was like someone had specifically typed this for him. But who?

* * *

><p>Yay! I finally managed to upload another chapter! Woo! ...I hate school.<p> 


	25. You're No Different

Redemption  
>Chapter 25: You're No Different<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.  
>AN: DAYUM! Over 12 stinkin' pages! As of now, this is clearly the longest chapter. Will there be a chapter that will exceed the length of this one? Doubtful, but we'll see…  
>Alternate title: The Glorified Fight Scene!<strong>

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><p>Delta sat down, relaxed. Even though it was easier said than done. The Persona wasn't that big, but like the mysterious message said, his creator uploaded a sort of protection into Delta. Whatever it was, the Persona seemed to be big. Luckily, Delta managed to cure himself before it got bigger than it was supposed to get. He thought of his creator. As a child, Delta's creator was exposed to many dangers, but she grew up to be as brilliant as her father.<p>

Echo only planted one bomb. Theta was the first to realize that there was a door nearby the computer, but they decided to rest before continuing on. Again. Still, Theta was nervous. He was uneasy. Knowing that security mavericks could either come out the door or the staircase, or both, and maybe at the same time. He tried to get the thought out of his mind, but he couldn't do so.

Shepherd studied his weapons. He laid them out on the floor, while he himself was sitting. He picked up his beam saber, twirling it around his hand. Instead of having a yellow band on it like Zero's, Shepherd's saber had a red band on it. As he set the weapon down, he picked up his Buster Shot. It made him wish he also bought his sniper rifle.

Killian scowled, fiddling with his red visor. He gritted his teeth, trying to fix the auto-targeting system in it. And the map. While the others were busy, Fifteen sat next to Delta, the two leaning against the wall. The blonde took Delta's hand, which surprised the golden reploid. For some reason, Fifteen had struck Delta as very independent and strong-willed the first time they met, but now, seeing her this vulnerable and dependent, Delta didn't know what to make of it. It was almost as if he expected himself to know a lot more than he thought he knew about Fifteen, and be surprised to find vulnerability in Fifteen's mind.

"Something on your mind?" Delta thought about calling her sweetheart, or something nice like that, but decided against it, thinking Fifteen wasn't the chocolates and flowers girl. Hey. There it was again. The assumptions, as if he knew everything about his lover.

"Just wanted to make sure you're…well, y'know, okay."

"Of course." The golden Maverick Hunter replied.

"The Reaper…he can't be much farther."

"If he's near, Maximilian's bound to be near as well. We take them out, and we can end this all. All of this, all of the troubles will go away." Delta promised, though it felt hollow.

"I don't know. We found Fourteen, Eight, Five, and One, but what about the rest?"

"They're probably just not found yet. Don't forget you, by the way. That's 5 of them already found now. That means there's ten left. I doubt anyone's going to find them anytime soon."

"Maybe after this, we could send teams across the world, searching everywhere for my siblings."

"And if they're hostile?"

"Simple. Kill them." Fifteen said. Delta noted that there wasn't any remorse or hesitation in her voice, as if the old her had come back briefly.

"Well, since they all have Evil Energy inside them…"

"Easy. We'd extract the bodies, take them to HQ, remove it, and awaken them."

"You really think it'll be as easy as that?"

"I don't think. I either hope or know."

While the two Maverick Hunters were talking, Killian was contacted by Zero. He pressed a finger against the side of his head. "Commander Zero?"

"Killian. The 19th Power Unit are making their way towards you. I estimate they'll be in your position within at least 10 minutes or so."

"What about you?"

"I went back. I figured they were doing good on their own, so now, I'm going to get back to the shuttle and see if I can blast a hole for you guys to escape through."

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay. Possibly, the whole world is counting on you, Killian. Commander Zero, over and out."

Then static. Killian turned to his squad. "Come on, guys. We need to move now. Break time's over."

Fifteen helped Delta up. Echo nodded, while Theta put his hands behind his back. Theta spoke up. "Killian, who were you talking to?"

"Commander Zero. He just wanted to tell us his status."

"Well, what's his status, then?"

"Apparently, the 19th Power Unit are still pushing forward. In fact, they might catch up to us. Meanwhile, Zero himself is actually going to the shuttle and find a good chunk of the fortress to blow to hell."

"Well, then. We'd better move, then. I don't want Commander Zero waiting for us."

Shepherd opened the door, and the rest of the Special 0 Unit walked in. Some security reploids got in their way, but they were, as expected, easily destroyed.

"This is a bit too easy." Echo said, mostly to himself, though Theta heard it.

"I feel like…someone's waiting for us." The Maverick Hunter said.

"It might be The Reaper. Or Maximilian. Or both. Stay alert, you two." Delta said, feeling as if he were in charge, even though it seemed that Fifteen, Shepherd, and Killian were the more experienced ones, and it felt like Delta was in the middle.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Maximilian stood behind his master. "So, where should we put the girl?"<p>

"Bring her here. Have her restrained to the wall. Then prepare the Cannon of the Damned. I'll kill her myself soon."

"What will that accomplish?" It wasn't that Maximilian thought these orders were questionable. He was just curious. And depending on how you'd look at it, curiosity was either a healthy trait, or one that killed cats. And nosy people.

"Brutalities, work, and torture strengthen the weak. Psychological torture pushes their mind forward. Makes them relentless, remorseless, and will push their limits forward. With beatings, you can make someone more durable. You strengthen them by destroying them. Work only adds upon brutalities."

"Very well, master."

"Oh, and before you leave, remember to make some upgrades to your machine. If they can bypass The Reaper, I'm willing to believe they'll make it past your mech as well."

Maximilian, with his back turned, gritted his teeth. He really didn't like being criticized. Still, he had a point. "Yes, my lord."

And then the scientist left, leaving his superior scoffing. _Fools. All of them…_

* * *

><p>Delta felt a familiar aura when they entered the next chamber. An aura that could only be described as pure evil. He instantly knew who it was. It was obvious, wasn't it? The Reaper. No more holding back. No more hiding. Just a face-to-face battle with The Reaper.<p>

Theta expected The Reaper to be intimidating, strong, durable, and fast. And that was exactly what he saw. At first glance, he instantly knew the potential of the strength of The Reaper. Killian gritted his teeth. Suddenly, he felt the pain throbbing in his head from their previous fight.

Fifteen was the first to realize something different about The Reaper. It really wasn't much, or noteworthy at all, but she saw that The Reaper had equipped a cape, or a badly torn cloak. Either way, it had holes, was torn in some places, and looked like a long rag. Still, it actually made him look more intimidating.

The Reaper crossed his arms, facing the wall. "Took you long enough," he said, chuckling.

Theta snorted, trying to prevent himself from being intimidated by The Reaper, though it was difficult. Still, he persevered. "So, you're the Reaper, eh?"

"Well, well. Looks like you've found a replacement for Solara, haven't you, Killian?"

"Indeed."

"I hope he isn't as annoying as Solara…"

"You won't be disappointed. He's quite competent…" Killian replied.

"Oh? That's good. Skilled in tech, combat, among other things. Looks like you might put up a decent fight, Theta. Might."

"You already know things about me? Those are facts you're making, not assumptions. It's kinda creepy, actually."

Delta nodded. "Now, you know how I feel."

"In time, you will understand, Delta. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon. Maybe."

Echo crossed his arms, setting his bag of bombs to the ground. "Are we going to fight, or are we just gonna stand here, talking like morons?"

The Reaper turned around, revealing his bright red features. Theta's eyes widened in surprise and fear when he saw that The Reaper now had lines running across his body. In some cases, they looked like cracks. But still, they glowed. Bright red. Crimson red. And then, around his body, The Reaper had a purple aura surrounding him.

The Reaper hissed out some words. "I'd rather we talk things about, _Echo._ Maybe we can settle things peacefully. Like Commander X. Maybe you don't have to die here. Just bow down, and embrace power."

"We politely decline." Shepherd put in.

"That's a bit unhealthy, isn't it?" The Reaper said, toying with Shepherd for amusement purposes.

"Yeah. That's the kicker."

"Enough of this!" Fifteen growled, annoyed. "Hienkyaku…"

In the blink of an eye, the white-clad Maverick Hunter dashed to the side of The Reaper, swinging her saber around faster than anyone could possibly utter a word. Her attack, and the Hienkyaku technique (taught to Fifteen by Zero himself), were so fast that it wouldn't be humanly possible to block it.

But The Reaper wasn't human. Technically, none of them are, but the point was, The Reaper still managed to block it with his own beam saber. Fifteen was put off-guard by a nanosecond, but that was enough. The Reaper quickly countered with a swift but effective punch to the face.

As Fifteen recoiled away from the pain in her nose, The Reaper spun around, holding his saber at a horizontal line; he had blocked a strike from Echo, who tried to sneak up on the maverick, though he was too slow.

As Fifteen recovered, she swung her saber around like a baseball bat at The Reaper, who skillfully ducked out of the way. The maverick threw his body backwards, slamming into Fifteen, knocking her into the ground.

The Reaper then focused on Echo. He thrust his hands forward, attempting to stab The Reaper with both of his wrist blades. However, he failed. Instead, The Reaper ducked again, headbutting Echo in the stomach. As the Maverick Hunter held his stomach in pain, The Reaper took this opportunity, to advance further. Echo received a barrage of punches from The Reaper. He couldn't think to counter-attack, as he was too focused on trying to stand upright, but the maverick then concluded with a kick to the chest, knocking him down.

Before The Reaper could continue, he was caught off-guard by a fully charged buster shot. However, it didn't come from Theta, Killian, Delta, or Shepherd. It came from Shade of the 19th Power Unit. Gaia, Kronos, Icy Gorilla, Silver Rex, and Commander Tau had managed to catch up, just like they said they would.

Shepherd's expression didn't change, though he was frankly glad to get some backup. "Good to see you guys in one piece."

Silver Rex raised an eyebrow. "What're you doing here, Shepherd? I thought you were a member of the 17th Elite Unit?"

"It's a long story, but we don't even have time for a short story. So let's come on and beat the Reaper's ass." Theta responded.

Kronos grinned. "Sounds good to me. Boy, how I wish Trance was here. He'd make this a lot more funner!"

Gaia scowled at her teammate. "Don't you mean "more fun," Kronos?"

Killian growled. "We can discuss grammar some other time, but if you haven't noticed, The Reaper has already taken out Fifteen and Echo."

"Yes, and now, YOU'RE NEXT." The Reaper hollered out.

"PISS OFF, YOU LITTLE COCKSUCKER." Kronos yelled back, suddenly firing charged shots from his Buster Shot pistols. The Reaper deftly dodged.

"My turn…prepare yourself!" The Reaper put his hands together, and a purple energy ball started to form. As he thrust his hands forward, an energy beam flew towards Kronos. A beam of Evil Energy.

Fortunately, Killian was a fast thinker, and acted quickly. He shoved Kronos out of the way, and fired his Pure Energy beam back. He managed to do it long enough to make The Reaper stop, though it took a lot of energy out of Killian. The Reaper took this chance to quickly dash towards the alien, grabbing him by the neck, and throwing him into the wall, causing a small hole to form.

Icy Gorilla shot two fully-charged Ice shots, while at the same time, Silver Rex charged towards The Reaper, who actually charged towards Silver Rex himself, moving himself out of the way of the Ice shot. Before Silver Rex could do any damage, The Reaper actually lifted up the silver dinosaur, from the torso, and threw him at Icy Gorilla, knocking them both down.

Fifteen, though incapacitated temporarily, wasn't out of the game. The exact second that The Reaper turned to Gaia, Fifteen performed a Hienkyaku, appearing in front of The Reaper, thrusting her beam saber into The Reaper's chest.

The hit surprised The Reaper, as the hit was a good one. Unfortunately for the Maverick Hunter, however, she missed his weak spot, which was a mere 4 inches away from where Fifteen really stabbed him. He growled, grabbing Fifteen's hand, crushing it in his grip. The blonde recoiled away from him. As the Maverick took the saber out from his chest, he threw it to the side. As he did this, Delta tackled The Reaper, attempting to knock him down. However, the hostile force managed to recover his balance, and threw Delta off of him, sending his body flying into Fifteen.

Theta was greatly intimidated, but he stood his ground, nonetheless. While Tau and Gaia were charging their busters, Theta decided to distract The Reaper by harassing him for as long as he could. Maybe even get a few hits in. He dashed towards The Reaper, slashing with great rapidity.

As expected, however, The Reaper dodged and blocked all of the attacks. He quickly grabbed Theta by the neck, lifted him up, and slammed him into the ground. However, Theta was tougher than he looked. He rolled back, before leaping towards The Reaper, who dashed back. However, when Theta started to attempt to rush him down, The Reaper merely lifted his arm up, causing Theta to float upwards. No one had mentioned to Theta about The Reaper's ability of telekinesis. With great force, he slammed his arm down, sending Theta crashing brutally into the ground, causing a few cracks to appear.

Delta, Shepherd, Shade, Gaia, and Tau all gritted their teeth. Their chances were getting lower by the minute. Someone had to do something. But what? Delta, Shepherd, and Shade were all thinking of a strategy to try to outflank The Reaper, while Tau and Gaia bought themselves about 2 seconds by firing their charged shots at The Reaper, though he was actually caught off-guard, and took the full impact of both of the shots.

The Reaper telekinetically lifted Gaia in the air before throwing her body into Shade like a rag doll. But he wasn't done. He decided to go the extra mile. The maverick swung his arm upwards, slamming Gaia through the ceiling, before slamming his arm downwards, sending the female's body flying back down into the ground.

While The Reaper was controlling Gaia, Shade dashed towards The Reaper while he was distracted, and managed to get in a couple of half-assed slices. But since they were half-assed, they had little to no effect on The Reaper. Still, by the time The Reaper was done with Gaia, he swung his arm around, trying to smack the Maverick Hunter in the face. Instead, Shade came up with a better plan. He couldn't use his telekinesis if he didn't have arms, could he?

Shade rolled out of the way of The Reaper's arm. He jumped up, raising his saber upwards, and was about to slam the weapon down. What a shame. He almost did it. The Reaper leaped backwards, easily dodging the swipe. Before Shade could make advance onwards, The Reaper dashed forward, grabbing Shade by the head, his palm completely covering his face. Then his hand started to glow a faint purple. And then a bright purple explosion. And The Reaper then dropped Shade's lifeless body.

No one could really describe what The Reaper had exactly done, but it was terrifying to see in person. Seeing the life drain from Shade's body. Tau would make Zero pay. Now, he owed her two soldiers. Shade and Gaia were now gone.

Shepherd tossed Delta his Buster Shot, before drawing his saber and charging towards The Reaper. Tau did the same. Shepherd was telekinetically lifted, though The Reaper could feel great resistance. He tossed Shepherd at Tau, who managed a quick roll. She dashed towards The Reaper with great speed, performing a swift but deadly strike.

The Reaper grunted in pain, before kicking Tau back. He clutched his chest wound, but he shouldn't worry about it. Only Shepherd, Tau, and Delta. The Reaper redrew his beam saber, realizing his telekinetic abilities were going down momentarily.

Shepherd stood behind The Reaper, while Tau stood in front of him, while in the back, Delta was focusing a charged shot. He opened fire, but The Reaper effortlessly blocked the shot. However, in the middle of blocking, Shepherd and Tau made their marks.

Shepherd thrust his saber forward into The Reaper's back. He turned around to block, but when he did so, Tau grabbed The Reaper by the neck, leaving him open for Shepherd's attack. However, when Shepherd thrust his beam saber forward again, The Reaper kicked the weapon out of his hand, before slamming the back of his head into Tau's face, stunning her.

Upon realizing that his telekinetic abilities were back, he lifted Shepherd up, but quickly and brutally slammed him into the wall before he could resist. As he turned around, he realized that Tau had backed up, before jumping towards him, holding her saber above her head.

Instead of getting stabbed in the face, The Reaper stuck out his arm, his fist colliding into Tau's chest. She fell down, onto her knees, before being grasped by the neck. However, the hostile reploid remembered Delta, and as he turned around, he saw Delta just about to fire again, before holding Tau in front of himself.

"Why don't you shoot, Delta?"

"I would, but I'd end up hurting Tau."

"Smart ass." The Reaper remarked, dropping Tau. Before the female Maverick Hunter could get up, the maverick slammed his foot into the back of her head.

"Well, now. Just you and me, Delta."

Delta was scared now. Terrified. Frightened. The Reaper managed to easily dispatch his allies, and only he was left. What chance did we have? Right now, the fact that he was reminded that he wouldn't be killed didn't exactly compose him.

"Submit."

"Never." The word nearly stuck in Delta's mouth, but he managed to say it.

"We'll do this the hard way, then? Fine."

The Reaper merely telekinetically lifted Delta up, but was surprised to see how much Delta resisted. In fact, he resisted the lift. The Reaper was in awe. His powers had been defied. If he could resist being lifted up, then he was just going to have to fight Delta for real now.

Delta didn't know what just happened. He didn't know how he managed to resist The Reaper's telekinesis. But he didn't stick around to find out. He had an enemy to fight. With all of his remaining courage, he charged forward.

The Reaper clutched his own saber tightly, narrowing his eyes.

_Swipe. Strike. Slash._

Attack after attack, Delta relentlessly went on the offensive. He tried to not let The Reaper make a move at all. The Reaper was actually having some trouble blocking. He realized why when Delta's eyes…began to glow red. The same shade of red that The Reaper had.

Delta felt like he should've been exhausted, but he really didn't. He actually felt a bit numb. He couldn't feel anything, but he didn't care. He kept on relentlessly attacking. The Reaper growled, and decided he had enough. The two reploids locked their sabers together, and wrestled for control. Under normal circumstances, The Reaper would've easily overpowered any reploid, but Delta was faring well.

The Reaper was a little surprised that Delta managed to last more than 10 seconds in a fight. Only a little surprised. Still, he knew damn well that there would only be one victor. And that would be The Reaper.

The Reaper realized that Delta was not only pushing his saber forward, but also leaned it downwards, towards The Reaper's hand. Fortunately for The Reaper, he reacted quickly, kicking the golden reploid in the stomach, knocking him back a bit. While Delta was winced from the pain, The Reaper advanced even further, grabbing Delta by the face, before slamming him into the ground, causing cracks in the ground.

The Reaper kept his hand down at Delta's face, in order to make sure that resistance was, as of now, useless. If not, futile. But Delta gritted his teeth, and persevered. To The Reaper's shock, Delta grabbed The Reaper's hand with a tight grip that the maverick couldn't pull away from. The Maverick Hunter growled, yanking The Reaper's arm backwards. As The Reaper fell down, his face collided into Delta's fist.

The Reaper grunted in pain as his body flew a few feet away. As he stumbled back up, Delta did the same, resting his hand on his knee. There were numerous dents and scratches in his armor. Blood was leaking from his mouth. He was out of breath, as Delta was panting a bit. But he took a deep breath, and dashed forward.

"REAPER!" Delta yelled loudly, causing The Reaper himself to actually be intimidated.

After reactivating his saber, Delta refused to take any bullshit. He knew that one way or the other, this fight ended here. Regardless of who the victor was, the battle would end at this very moment.

Their sabers locked for the last time. While The Reaper was trying to recover from the rush, Delta slammed his foot into The Reaper's groin. He grunted, stepping back, letting his guard down.

Delta then followed up by jumping in the air, kicking his enemy in the face. Delta landed with his back turned against The Reaper.

Immediately after he landed, Delta performed the finishing attack. Or, rather, attacks. He performed a barrage of saber slashes that repeatedly grazed The Reaper's armor, the small pricks of pain coming too fast for The Reaper to ignore.

The burn marks on The Reaper's armor sizzled, and once Delta was done, he fell to his knees. However, before he could lean on his arms to support himself, Delta kneed his opponent in the face. The Reaper fell backwards, before forcing himself back up.

However, The Reaper couldn't take any more punishment. He knew that he was going to die soon. So before he'd die, then out would come the truth. He felt ashamed knowing this truth, knowing how corrupted by the Evil Energy he'd become.

The Reaper's thoughts were disrupted when Delta stabbed The Reaper. Right there. In his weak spot. In his energy core. But that wasn't it. Delta's saber started to glow a bright red, before an explosion occurred. Though Delta wouldn't realize this for some time, he managed to concentrate energy into his saber, and caused an explosion to happen, further damaging The Reaper's primary energy core.

The Reaper was slammed into the wall, smoke rising from his body. He was defeated. In fact, he was already dead.

Delta approached him, calming down. He fell down, realizing how exhausted he was, realizing how much energy he'd spent. Funny. How this was only the beginning. He still had to fight Maximilian. He imagined how much harder it would be to fight the scientist in whatever he created.

As Delta slowly stood up, The Reaper groaned in agony. Delta almost felt sorry for him. Almost being the key word. He then remembered one thing. Back when he first infiltrated Maximilian's hidden facility in the jungle, he remembered the scientist calling him by his name, despite the fact that they hadn't met prior.

So he asked a question. "So, Reaper, since you're going to die soon, I'd like to ask some questions. First off, how do you know me? How does Maximilian know me?"

The Reaper managed an extremely weak chuckle, before groaning in even more pain. "Heh, are you sure you can handle the truth, Delta?"

"I could sure as hell handle you. Now give me the damned answer to my question."

"Very well. Delta. The Evil Energy…as you can see, the Evil Energy gave me extraordinary powers. Strength, speed, durability, telekinesis, mild flight, but one thing I haven't mentioned to you was time travel."

Delta coughed weakly. "Time travel? So…you come from the future?"

The Reaper tried to shrug, but gave up. "More like…an alternate timeline. Within this dimension. You see, Delta…to put it in a nutshell, you and I are the same person."

At first, Delta thought The Reaper meant they were the same as in, his judgment was that he killed many times, and that Delta's mission in life is now to terminate every Maverick in order to protect humanity. "I'm nothing like you. I fight for peace, and justice—"

"No, you fool. You and I are literally the same person. I am Delta. I am you."

"…What?"

"Don't be acting like a fool, Delta. I know about the flame with Fifteen, the friendship with Echo, and hell, I knew about Solara."

"You killed her," Delta accused.

"I had nothing to do with her death," The Reaper growled, "You know, I know, that it was Magnus. His mission was to kill you. It's just that Solara got in the way. You see, the reason why Maximilian had to hire Magnus was because I refused to kill you. Because I am you. And since you're technically the past version of me, killing you would also erase me…"

"Fine. That still doesn't explain how Maximilian knew me beforehand…"

"Information is power, Delta. I tell him many things."

"You told him everything you know?"

"You know you did."

"…I didn't do it. You and I may be the same person, but we are very different."

"That doesn't change anything. Maybe…maybe you can defeat Maximilian after all. And his master…"

"What? Maximilian himself has a superior?" Delta's mechanical heart sank. He had to fight _more?_ The golden Maverick Hunter rolled his eyes, gritting his teeth as he remembered the pain. _Great. That means we haven't even begun yet…_

"Indeed…"

"Alright. So, how did you end up like a sack of shit?"

"It started just like your tale. First, a Repliforce agent, then I became a Maverick Hunter, and then I met Fifteen and the rest of the gang. But, you see, on the very first mission, our first mission…"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Remember the fire? Remember when I was blocking your way?"

"Yeah, I do. Get on with it."

"Contrary to what I said, I didn't damn you. I saved you."

"I don't get it."

"You see, in my life, on the first mission, we discovered that the Mavericks were actually coming from a source of Evil Energy, thought to have been long forgotten. I was exposed to it, and slowly, it consumed me. I felt more…well, evil. But I still knew good and evil."

Delta kept silent, signaling The Reaper to continue. "I decided that I might not have to suffer this fate, so I tried to change the past. I met with Maximilian, Decker, and their superior. Then when they trusted me, I made my mark. But when I caused that explosion, I instantly knew something was up. At first, I was confused. Why? Why wasn't I gone now? Now that it was all different, I should've ceased to exist. But then a theory came that what was done was done, and there was no changing that. I was cursed to stay as The Reaper, waiting to die. Maximilian used me, and I had no choice but to be used. You've set me free, Delta…"

Delta didn't know what to think. Here was The Reaper, his mortal enemy, revealing that they were the same person, before thanking him for killing him. Emotions were everywhere. Confusion, sympathy, intrigue, relief, and others.

He was speechless. And somehow, he managed to find a way to forgive The Reaper. Forgive himself.

He nodded, telling The Reaper that he understood. The Reaper managed to nod back. "Any more questions?"

"Yes. Were you also the one who wrote the message on the console?"

"Affirmative. See, I was, at the time, hoping that when you'd downloaded the program, the Persona would be completely purged from your systems, thus making it quite impossible for you to defeat me. However, I suspect there was a glitch, or it loaded far longer than I thought…"

"Well…thank you."

"And thank you, Delta."

And as he died, Delta closed The Reaper's eyes, staring at himself. And then he blacked out from the substantial amount of energy he'd used.

* * *

><p>WOO! WHAT? PLOT TWISTS THAT PROBABLY AREN'T AS EPIC AS THEY SOUND ON PAPER, AND ARE PROBABLY REALLY FUCKING CHEESY EVEN THOUGH I CAN'T THINK OF ANOTHER INSTANCE WHEN THE PLOT TWIST HAS BEEN USED AT THE MOMENT. No, but seriously, wow. Longest chappie! Dang! Maybe I can finish Redemption in November, or if I got a lot of spare time, by Halloween!<p> 


	26. Reflections

Redemption  
>Chapter 26: Reflections<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Sega. I mean, Nintendo. I mean, Crapcom. I mean, Capcom…yeah.  
>AN: This chapter will actually just be a filler chapter, as in, the aftermath of the Reaper battle, and right before they advance further to fight Maximilian. I still need to add some drama in this…**

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><p>Delta was shaken out of his sleep. Quite literally. Fifteen stood over him, her hands clamped on his shoulders. As he opened his eyes, her beautiful brown eyes were the first thing he saw. He still felt weak though. He expected Fifteen to just sigh in relief, and help him up. But instead, she gasped, and hugged him. "Oh my god, Delta! You're alive! Thank god!"<p>

"Y-Yeah…I'm alive..."

Then Delta heard Shepherd's voice. "Barely. Theta, get the repairs kit."

"Aye, aye," said Theta, doing so. As he handed the soldier the repairs kit, he stepped back. Shepherd opened the repairs kit, bringing out several tools. Delta raised an eyebrow, confused. He wasn't that badly hurt, was he? He managed to weakly utter a protest. "I…I can still fight."

Echo walked over beside Shepherd, looking at Delta, before shaking his head. "Dude, look at yourself." The tone of his voice worried Delta. Reluctantly, the golden reploid looked down, and nearly panicked. Holes and dents were everywhere. The wires connecting his arm to his shoulder were showing. Same went for the wires that connected his left leg to his body. In fact, some of the wires down there were broken.

"…This won't hurt, will it?" Delta asked nervously.

"Depends on your judgment. You've been through worse though, so don't worry," Shepherd said reassuringly, "Echo, go check up on Silver Rex. We'll need all the help we can get." Echo did so, walking away.

After that ordeal was over, Delta thought it wasn't that bad. He flinched now and then, but actually, it wasn't horrible. In fact, he already felt his strength coming back. But Killian said that he still had to rest, as did everyone. No one complained.

Delta was troubled. He was troubled about himself. The Reaper. He sat in pensive thought, wondering about things. He was thinking about how The Reaper was able to telepathically communicate with him, and only him. He wondered how The Reaper still existed after he saved Delta from being consumed by Evil Energy.

The brown-haired Maverick Hunter wasn't supposed, however, when Fifteen came to sit next to him. Ever since their talk back at HQ, she seemed to be clinging on to him every chance she got. That also troubled Delta. Not the clinging part, but the fact that something was up about them, but Delta didn't know. Only Fifteen did. But still, she promised he'd find out after the mission was over.

If they survived the mission, that is.

"Hey," Fifteen simply said.

"Hey," Delta replied.

"So…what's wrong?"

"The Reaper. Shit gets real from here. He told me some things that I think I was better off not knowing…but it's still something I know that I needed to know."

"What is it?"

"Where do I start?"

"Just…start from the beginning, Delta. By that, I mean, how exactly did you beat him? Where everyone else failed, you beat him all by yourself. How did you do that?"

"The Persona. Turns out that the program was still working on it while I was fighting The Reaper. It wasn't exactly gone at the time. I used it, or rather, it used me. Because of it, I managed to defeat The Reaper."

Fifteen nodded, listening. "Okay…"

Delta sighed, getting a bit nervous about this now. "After eventually beating The Reaper," he began, "he managed to stop me from killing him right away so that he can utter a few revelations to me…and…" Delta tried to continue, but the words stuck in his throat.

The blonde scooted closer to her love. "And then what? Don't worry. I'm not pushing you, but I suppose you should tell me if it makes you feel better." The gold-clad Maverick Hunter nodded, trying to continue wherever he left off.

"He told me that…I…h-he and I were the same person."

Though Fifteen knew how serious this was, she tried to hold back a chuckle at how ridiculous it sounded. Still, she managed to make out a clear voice. "…What exactly do you mean? That's not really possible, is it?"

"How can it be impossible if I saw an example of it?" Delta snapped, but quickly composed himself. "Look, he was detailed. He knew about all of us. He knew about how we liked each other, and why Maximilian had to send Magnus to do the dirty work."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"I'll get to that. See, The Reaper refused to kill me because, since he and I are the same person, killing me would also destroy him. Now, how exactly is he the same person as me? Apparently, he used his Evil Energy to travel back in time, so that, with whatever remaining sense he had, he saved me from getting infected with the Evil Energy. It seems that on the bridge on our first mission, there was a source of Evil Energy. Now, on his first mission as a Maverick Hunter, he was infected."

Fifteen was silent for a moment, trying to comprehend all of this. "…Sorry, it's just all hard to absorb."

"I understand. At least, I think I do. I hope."

Killian overhead the conversation, and walked over to them. He leaned against the wall, but also standing up, crossing his arms. "That was also part of the reason why I didn't trust you at first. I knew all along that you were The Reaper, so I thought that you'd turn on us on our first mission. Then the unexpected happened. Then…I had to decide what to do. Eventually, I slowly came to trust you. And so far, the trust isn't misplaced."

"…That's good to hear," said Delta.

"Do you, now? Heh. I expected you to be pissed off at me for not actually telling you."

"Meh. I'd have done the same," Delta responded, shrugging subtly. He wasn't really paying attention. He just wanted to rest.

"And the voice in your head. The Reaper's voice."

"What about it?"

"Do you know how he did that?"

"I don't _know_, but I think I can manage a hypothesis. Maybe, because we're the same person, he's able to like, share a telepathic link to me. Possibly another power from the Evil Energy or possibly all time travelers can do this."

Killian managed a small smile. "Good guess. You're absolutely correct, dear Earthling."

Delta smiled back. "Geez, are you going to make it known you're an alien, or are you going to keep it subtle? Make up your mind."

"I'll think about it. You're pretty smart for an earthling."

"Who said I was from Earth? For all you know, I could be from Uranus."

Fifteen snorted. "I've got enough people living there."

Delta got up, stretching a bit. He then walked over to The Reaper's body, staring at the cold metal. Knowing it was like staring at a mirror. In fact, parts of the Reaper's armor were still shiny enough for Delta so see his own reflection. He sighed, knowing it's all over. He put himself to rest, and he should be happy for that, but he had more important things to worry about.

He turned back, towards Shepherd. "Alright, let's keep moving…"

The soldier raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're prepared?" He asked worriedly.

The golden Maverick Hunter nodded. "Yeah. I don't feel achy or anything. Fucking trigger finger's actually itching to shoot."

That comment managed to give Shepherd a smile. "Heh. That's a really good Buster Shot. Spent a lot of time modifying and upgrading that damn gun. But I have so many guns that I don't mind if you take that one."

"Cool. Thanks."

"No problem. Alright. Let's get moving, gang!"

Echo and Theta moaned, wanting to rest a bit more. Fifteen rolled her eyes. "Oh, just get over it and stop whining, you two idiots."

Delta sighed. "Come on, guys. This is really important. Now, let's go."

* * *

><p>Hope this short chappie clears up the potential plot holes. REVIEWS.<p> 


	27. Family Reunion

Redemption  
>Chapter 27: Family Reunion<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.  
>AN: Heh. Okay, well, maybe I won't finish this by Halloween, but I'm confident that I'll finish Redemption this year. Funny. This'll be one of the few fics to be written and finished within half a year or so, while others take like, a whole year. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Shepherd decided to lead the group, drawing his handmade Buster Shotgun. The Special 0 Unit closely followed in the middle, while the rest of the 19th Power Unit was behind. Tau was pissed. Shade and Gaia were dead. The first thing on her mind wasn't stopping Maximilian; it was about Shade and Gaia. They were some of her best troops. And now they were gone. Zero owed her two competent hunters. Maybe Shepherd would do nicely.<p>

Suddenly, a voice was heard. An echoing voice throughout the fortress. As if it were coming out of a 21st century intercom. It was the voice of Maximilian. "You've made it this far, Maverick Hunters. I promise you, it will only get harder from here. You will not survive, I'll say right now. Ta-ta."

A large wave of Maverick security guards appeared, standing in the way of the Hunters. They looked even more powerful than the guards they were used to. Fifteen felt nervous, but she decided to persevere. They came this far. There was no going back.

Before the Maverick Hunters could draw their weapons, Killian walked in front of them, sticking out his arm. "Stop. I'll take care of this."

Everyone reluctantly did so, wondering what Killian was thinking. They got their answer when they saw the Pure Energy charging up from his hands. Because the Special 0 Unit and Shepherd were the only ones aware that Killian was an alien, the 19th Power Unit was greatly surprised at the strange sight.

"What…the fuck?" Silver Rex asked in a low voice.

Theta assumed that Killian was simply charging some kind of "death beam" or something, but then he realized that the energy was actually covering his entire body so that his body was now completely submerged in Pure Energy. Before long, he stuck out both his arms, and a massive shockwave easily wiped out the guards. In fact, some of them crashed through the wall, dying an agonizing death upon impact into the ground.

The shockwave was so strong that it shook open the gate in front, and the Maverick Hunters behind could feel it faintly. Killian collapsed, getting onto his knees, though Delta helped him back up. "You alright, man? That was spectacular."

"Thanks." Somehow, Killian was suddenly out of breath. "That took a lot of effort, but it worked. Come on. I'll recover soon enough." Delta hesitantly let go, and Killian slowly got back up.

"We need to move. Come on…"

They obeyed. Soon enough, they found themselves in a large chamber. A silhouetted figure stood there, his arms behind his back like a gentleman. But it was obvious he was far from it. He had the voice of Maximilian himself. "Why, hello there, Maverick Hunters."

"Don't play games with us, Maxy. We don't appreciate it." Theta growled, arming himself.

The figure chuckled. "Games are meant for entertainment, and at the moment, I am quite amused. You may have defeated The Reaper, but you are still nothing in my eyes."

Shepherd pulled out his Buster Shotgun. "I've had enough." And then he pulled the trigger. It should've ended right there, but it didn't. As Shepherd walked over to the supposed body of Maximilian, the head sprung off the body spontaneously. This convinced him that this was just a decoy. Not that he was surprised. He never expected anyone as intelligent as Maximilian to give himself up without a trap.

Wait…a trap.

Suddenly, a horrible mechanical sound was heard. As Shepherd turned to the side, he realized that the walls were slowly closing in on them. It _was_ a trap!

"RUN FOR IT!"

If the wall closing in on them wasn't enough to convince the Maverick Hunters to run, maybe the fire rising up behind them did. They ran as fast as they could. The fire was following them. The chamber was getting smaller, but the exit was so close. Some fire appeared in front of them, but Shepherd rushed through it, risking burned armor. No serious injuries, however.

The Maverick Hunters closely followed, rushing through the fire. They reached the shutter, where they reached safety. Or so they thought.

They were treated to the false hope that they managed to escape safely, but it only lasted for barely a few seconds. The floor began to collapse, inch by inch. And it was rapidly happening. They had to move.

Silver Rex charged past the rest of the Maverick Hunters. He was running so fast that the force of his charge sent the other side of the small chamber flying into the wall. His companions closely followed, but as they entered the next room, a metal barrier appeared, trapping them.

Tau took a deep breath. "…Are we done with the damn traps yet?"

Killian sighed. "Yeah, but the trouble is far from over. Look."

Tau looked forward, seeing Maximilian with his back turned towards the Maverick Hunters, as if he didn't care that his enemies were there. Kronos growled, running towards the scientist, intending to knock him into the wall. Tau tried to call out and tell him to wait, but he apparently didn't hear her. Kronos ended up crashing into a barrier that made itself visible when the Maverick Hunter collided into it.

Maximilian laughed, turning around to face them. "I pulled this trick twice now! I won't let you easily get me."

Echo gritted his teeth, pointing an accusing finger at the scientist. "Stop hiding behind your traps and face us, you son of a bitch!"

The reploid scientist smirked, casually crossing his arms. "I must say…I never thought you'd actually be able to defeat The Reaper. Bravo. I thought it was an impossible task, but you did it. However, you won't get past me. You lack the intellect to defeat me."

Icy Gorilla scowled. "Are you calling us stupid?"

"Yes, monkey. I am. You lack the intelligence, strategy, and teamwork to beat me. However, this fight is unfair. I'll warm you up a bit, before showing you my little toy."

Delta didn't like the sound of that. He was right to be nervous.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

Shockwave after shockwave, Delta lost his footing somehow, and got dizzy. In fact, everyone did. As Delta regained his vision, he saw that what almost looked like an army was standing in front of them.

But this wasn't any ordinary army…

Standing in front of the Maverick Hunters was a small group of stone golems, each possibly 10 feet. The weight was another story. They had small eyes that glowed crimson. They slowly, but intimidatingly, walked towards the group. Delta was about to charge forward, but Fifteen's arm blocked his way.

"I'll do it. They don't call me the second-in-command for nothing. I'll show them what I'm _really_ capable of. It'll just be like a training simulator…"

And with that, the white-clad Maverick Hunter charged forward. It was torture for Icy Gorilla, Kronos, and Silver Rex to have to stand still instead of attacking. Theta suspected this, and his assumption was correct. He never found out it actually was correct, however.

As Fifteen approached one golem, it smashed its fist downwards, trying to crush the Maverick Hunter. However, because it was so slow and predictable, she managed to easily dodge it, before nimbly jumping onto the fist, running up the golem's arm. She then jumped up, landing on its shoulder. As she sliced its head off, she then leaped towards the next golem, slicing its head off easily in a flash.

The third golem tried to step on her, but of course, she managed to dodge. The giant then pounded its fist into the ground, where Fifteen used her strategy to get onto the golem's hand, and she ran across his arm. However, the stone giant was smarter than it looked. It wanted Fifteen to fall for his trap.

As she was scaling its arm, the golem grabbed Fifteen, and began to crush her in his grip. Delta gritted his teeth, preparing to save her, when Icy Gorilla stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Sometimes, all you need in a fight really is brute strength." He charged forward, slamming a fist into the golem's leg, causing him to fall down on one leg.

It also dropped Fifteen in surprise. Icy Gorilla then pulled out his Buster Shot, firing a fully-charged ice shot at the golem. The plasma bullet hit the golem's chest, and the icy shot exploded on impact. Ice crept from the wound, and started to creep all over its body.

The golem stupidly stepped back, as if it were going to try to run away from the ice. It was leaning backwards when it froze completely, causing its own body to fall back, catching another one by surprise. The unlucky golem crumbled under the pressure of his friend.

The last golem, who appeared to be the leader of them, grabbed Icy Gorilla, and tried to crush him. Kronos recklessly ran to the aid of his friend. Icy Gorilla managed to free his arms, and before the golem could terminate him, the gorilla repeatedly pounded on the golem's hand.

Silver Rex growled, going for the last golem as well. Everyone else decided to follow. They all relentlessly attacked. The golem was, needless to say, destroyed. Everything was then silent, save for the heavy breathing of Fifteen and Icy Gorilla.

And then, Maximilian's voice was heard echoing around the chamber they were in. "Good show, lads! Now, it's time for the main course! Are you ready for this?"

"Hit us with your best shot, you wuss!" Tau yelled confidently. Maybe too confident. Especially for someone like Echo.

A hole appeared on the ground in front of them. A giant hole. And then…it rose.

It was the most terrifying thing Echo had ever seen in his life. Delta, on the other hand, still found The Reaper to be more intimidating. Fifteen tried not to show her fear, but it was hard work. Tau was trying to do the same. Kronos grinned, not caring about whether it was strong or not. He just wanted to smash it.

What stood in front of them was a 15 feet tall carnage bringer. Though it certainly looked scary, it was still visible that the end product was rushed. The heat exhaust holes stuck out on the hands. It had the basic structure of a humanoid; arms, legs, body, neck, and head. Only a lot taller. And deadlier. And big purple glowing eyes. Maximilian himself was piloting it.

"Any last words, dear Maverick Hunters?"

Kronos spat on the ground, grinning. "Yeah. DIE!" He then fired a charged shot at one of the heat exhaust holes on the mech's hand, though Maximilian easily dodged it.

"Poor choice of words, my friend."

The mech merely raised its leg, before stomping onto the ground, causing a shockwave. It was so massive that it managed to send Theta flying back, though he quickly recovered.

"This weapon here is equipped with the latest weaponry tech. Psionic blasters, sonic shooters, electricity projection, and of course, the newest and my personal favorite…The Evil Energy Beam!"

Suddenly, the giant robot fired a purple beam across the middle of the room, causing the Maverick Hunters to roll to the side, barely managing to dodge. The mech stepped forward slowly, firing missiles from its knuckles. Heat-seeking missiles.

Shepherd easily shot the missile targeting him with his Buster Shotgun. Because Icy Gorilla didn't have any heat whatsoever, the missiles didn't detect him. He jumped up, catching missiles aimed for Kronos and Silver Rex, before throwing them back at Maximilian.

The scientist gritted his teeth. He was sitting inside the head of the mech. The missiles didn't do any real damage. That was good to know. He smirked again, before resetting to Primary Battle Mode. Echo tried something risky.

"Theta, catch!" He tossed the bag of bombs to Theta, who barely managed to catch it. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what Echo intended to do. He wished he knew ahead of time so he'd stop him. It was a risk without a consequence or reward. Echo ran towards the mech, which was being distracted by Echo's teammates.

He went around the mech, jumping onto the mech's legs, and starting making his way up. His movement was so fluid that it was like he was merely running on it. He eventually reached the mech's head, and activating his wrist blades. He tried to pierce the armor, but it proved impossible.

_Damn! All that climbing for nothing. And now, he just realized I'm here. Time to compromise, _Echo thought to himself. He managed to jump off its head, right before Maximilian reached there. With great agility, the Maverick Hunter landed on the ground, performing a backflip towards Theta, before grabbing the bag of explosives again.

"And why did you climb the big scary robot?" Theta asked in irritation.

"Thought I could find a weak spot. Ever play those old video games? The weak spot is usually the head."

"Get your head in the game," snarled Killian.

"Nag, nag," Echo mumbled.

Shepherd looked for every possible place for a weak spot. Something. The heat exhaust holes were too small for even an uncharged energy pellet to get inside. The shot would have to be shot by a person with the eyes of a hawk. As good as he was, Shepherd didn't have the eye of the hawk. Or the eye of the tiger, in that case.

Upon close inspection, Fifteen realized that the giant holes that were the mech's eyes were made of glass. They were certainly large enough for her to fit in. Maybe…just maybe she could do it. She turned to Killian.

"Hey, think you can really distract him?"

"If you have a good plan, then yes. I'll do my best."

"Good."

As Fifteen made her way to Maximilian, Killian put his hands together, a small ball of blue energy gathering in between his palms. The energy ball gradually began to grow in size, and then Killian used the ball as an energy source to fire a Pure Energy beam.

The beam caught Maximilian by surprise. But he managed to quickly adjust, and shot an Evil Energy beam in retaliation. The two energy beams fought each other. Killian was getting weaker and weaker. The robot's supply of Evil Energy was also quickly going down. But Killian needed to give Fifteen some time…

Fifteen climbed up the mech, similar to what Echo did. As Fifteen landed and knelt on the mech's shoulder, she drew her Buster Shot, and fired a semi-charged shot at the mech's eye, the plasma bullet also hitting Maximilian, knocking him off the controls.

She then performed a Hienkyaku, practically teleporting inside the control chamber of Maximilian's "toy." She looked at the scientist, ashamed of knowing him as her father. What a beautiful family reunion.

She grabbed her "father" by the lab coat, and performed another Hienkyaku, now appearing just outside the mech, shoving Maximilian down.

"You're finished, Maximilian! Just surrender quietly, and you won't have to be terminated!"

This caused the scientist to laugh. It startled Fifteen, but she fired at Maximilian's leg, and that managed to shut him up.

Through grimaces and groans, Maximilian managed to still be able to talk. "This isn't over just yet. You think you can win? My superior will easily dispatch you."

Shepherd snorted. "I never took you for the type who takes orders. If you take orders from him, maybe he _is_ bad news."

"Understatement…of the millennia. He'll wipe you off the face of the universe."

"Sure, pal," Echo said.

"You Maverick Hunters think you're so skilled. Then you will realize you are nothing in his eyes. You're merely just a distraction. A minor setback."

"Who's your so-called master, Maximilian?" Theta asked.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Maximilian replied.

"Spill it."

"He's your brother, Eta." Maximilian said, smirking. He let that statement sink in.

* * *

><p><strong>Woo! MOAR PLOT TWISTS! Yay! Now get off your lazy asses and review this! REVIEW THIS AND LOVE MEEEEEE…*Ahem.* Anyway…yeah. Hope you enjoyed.<strong>


	28. Fate

Redemption  
>Chapter 28: Fate<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom. Can I stop putting the disclaimers yet? I think you get the point already. Still, I just wanna be on the safe side.  
>AN: All these plot twists make me feel like M. Night Shyamalan. I even have the surprise ending ready, even though it's more like a "Hey, this thing happened. Yeah."**

"Eta?"

* * *

><p>Maximilian laughed. "Is Eta not your brother, Theta? Look at your face. Look at how shocked you are. How amusing to see you like this!"<p>

Fifteen scowled at her "father," and decided to shut him up by slicing his hand off with her beam saber. Maximilian screamed in pain, but he couldn't hold his wound because Fifteen had her foot on his arm. It was agonizing for the scientist, which fulfilled Fifteen's sadistic lust for bloodshed and insanity. At least, the programmed portion.

"You…you hurt me!" Maximilian said, as if he were being hurt for the first time in his life.

"Aww, I'm sorry, daddy." Fifteen mockingly cooed.

"You bitch! I'll kill you!"

"For someone as smart as you are, you certainly lack common sense. Dumbass."

"If I shan't be the one to destroy you, my master will. Eta will wipe your very existence from the face of the universe. A new age will start! He will rise and destroy all who oppose him!"

Delta snorted. "This really is more cheesy than scary."

"Your laughter will soon fade when you face Eta, imbecile."

Killian placed a hand on his chin. "I don't think he's actually doing this on accord of his own free will. I think that all this time, he's been brainwashed."

"Brainwashed?" Maximilian apparently didn't like being called that. "I am not brainwashed! Eta merely opened my eyes to this stupid world. Why do we still live on this outdated world when we're more than capable of building space colonies, like Eurasia?"

"I've had enough of this bullshit. Brainwashed or not, this ends here." Fifteen growled. She took her creator by his collar, and threw him into the wall. Actually, the strength in which Fifteen threw him actually sent him crashing through the wall, and out in the open, where he would eventually hit the ground and die.

His agonizing screams filled some sort of sick satisfaction in Fifteen, but she thought of her friends, and wondered what they thought. She felt a smirk tug at her mouth, but it quickly vanished when she realized her teammates were staring at her. The white-clad Maverick Hunter sheepishly turned away, and towards the next room.

The 19th Power Unit had kept quiet and watched the dramatic scene. Tau was disturbed very much by this. Maximilian would've been considered an innocent civilian if it was discovered whether he was brainwashed or not. But the female tried to wipe this from her memory circuits.

Fifteen sighed. "Come on. We can't waste any time. Let's get going and get this over with…"

No one argued. "Err…yeah." Kronos mumbled.

The group walked in silence. They occasionally stopped so Echo could place the remaining bombs. He sighed in relief, throwing away the now empty bag. Now he could get into real fighting. He had almost waited too long.

"Okay. That's the last of the bombs. Let's keep moving, guys."

Delta grunted, forcing himself up. They ran into the occasional group of Maverick security guards, but still nothing worth fighting. Eventually, they reached another staircase that reached the summit of the fortress.

The staircase somehow ended up being even worse than the other one. It was like climbing Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings. Too bad by this time, most people had forgotten about that book. New books ended up becoming classics, while the older classics were forgotten.

The teams stopped here and there to sit down to rest. They didn't know how much they'd need it…

Eta gritted his teeth. Fools. Puppets. His mere puppets failed simple tasks. Now he was left. He grunted loudly, deciding that he could easily take out the hunters. After all, what did they have? Sabers and Buster Shots? He laughed, looking at his clenched fist. He didn't need any weapons.

Eta himself had a bulky and metallic exterior. After his consumption of Evil Energy, his armor had gotten tougher, thicker, stronger, bigger, and everything in between. Though he didn't know it, he was comparable in appearance to Duo. Mainly because he didn't know who Duo was to begin with.

He had to prepare. He already had that human girl ready. The trap will be sprung. And the Maverick Hunters will know true power.

And so they did.

Eventually, when the Maverick Hunters reached the end of the stairs, they passed by a door, and little did they know that the chamber in this room would be the battle of their lives. As they entered, Theta scanned the room thoroughly. Echo saw Kayla, the human mechanic, tied to the wall. Her shirt and jeans were torn, her face bruised, bloody, and beaten. He gasped, before running over to her.

"Kayla!"

Theta managed to spot a trap, though it was too late. "Wait! Echo! STOP!"

Echo stepped on a panel on the floor that electrocuted him, before sending him flying back, crashing into the wall. Before the two units could register properly what happened to Echo, they heard laughter that could only be described by only one word. Evil. No, scratch that. Pure evil.

The shadowy figure walked into the room. Theta recognized him immediately. His long lost brother; Eta. "So, Eta. It's been a while. Nice little family reunion you have here."

"Silence, whelp."

"What, just because you absorbed some Evil Energy automatically gives you the right to talk down on everyone? You always were thick in the head, Eta."

"Are you finished with your childlike insults, brother?"

"Maybe, but tell me this. Where'd you get the Evil Energy?"

"Simple. I only merely found the body of an ancient robot that was full of Evil Energy while I was researching some resources I got. One thing led to another, and here we are…"

"You left your family just so you could become this…this fucking abomination? How the fuck can you look at yourself in the mirror anymore? How do you still smile, knowing that you abandoned your family and your humanity?"

Eta raised an eyebrow at Theta when he realized his little brother started getting teary-eyed. Theta saw a small gleam in his brother's eye, as if there was a little bit of semblance of humanity wanting to get out. But he was wrong. The gleam was actually him charging up his eye beams.

Needless to say, Theta was caught completely by surprise. The eye beams hit him like cinderblocks, sending him crashing into the wall. However, he quickly stood up, clutching his stomach. Echo also got up, after stumbling here and there.

Eta grunted, impressed that Theta was still standing from that attack. "Well, now. You've grown stronger since I've left."

"It's not easy to hurt someone who can't feel pain anymore…" Theta fell to his knees, a tear flowing down his cheek.

"Oh? Doubtful. Prepare to die, Theta!"

"Not so fast!" Kronos roared, charging towards Eta. He caught the Maverick by surprise. The hulking Maverick Hunter slammed Eta into a wall, repeatedly bashing his fists into his opponent's face. Eta growled, and before long, a large, purple plasma beam came out of Eta's chest, knocking Kronos all the way back.

"Bring it on, you bastard!" Delta said, pointing at Eta. The rest of the Maverick Hunters charged towards Eta all at once. But the figure of evil only smirked, as if these inferior fools meant completely nothing to him. They were without power. And that's all that mattered.

Eta swung his arm around, creating a shockwave that knocked the hunters back. Except Silver Rex. He persevered, and kept on charging. He managed to come into contact with Eta, who stood his ground. The immediate second Silver Rex started to lose his momentum, Eta grappled him and held the dinosaur reploid over his head, before throwing him into the wall.

Before Silver Rex could get up, he was viciously assaulted by Eta, who fired two purple beams from his hands. To Silver Rex, they stung 10 times more than the stingers of every hornet in the world. Before Eta could kill the dinosaur, Icy Gorilla recovered from the shockwave, and shot an energy pellet in his opponent's head. Though Silver Rex was alive, he was down for the count.

Though the shots didn't even hurt Eta at all, they got his attention. He used his telekinetic powers to stop the energy pellets, and send them back to Icy Gorilla. The plasma energy cut through the reploid's armor. Before he could retaliate with a charged shot, his entire body was now floating in the air. Eta closed his hand, breaking the reploid's spinal support system.

"Dammit to hell! First things first…" While Eta was fighting off the Maverick Hunters, Echo focused on freeing Kayla, who was barely conscious now.

"Ungh…E-Echo…?"

"That's my name. Don't worry. I'll get you out of here!"

Kayla didn't argue. Echo activated his wrist blades, cutting the human's chains, effectively freeing her. "Get someplace safe! The next room looks safe. Go! Go now!"

However, the mechanic didn't move. Instead, she fell down, her body unwilling to function. Echo grunted, picking her up. He ran towards the corner, where he laid her down. This would have to do for now.

Delta and Fifteen went on the offensive. Delta was on the left of Eta, while Fifteen was on the right. Unknown to Eta at the moment, Shepherd was behind him, charging his Buster Shotgun. Delta ran towards Eta, preparing a string of attacks, but before he could swing his saber, Eta grabbed him by the neck.

"Fool. You should not have interfered. But it is too late now, I'm afraid." Eta was installing the Evil Energy into Delta. The alien virus infected Delta, who lost the strength to resist, and stopped moving. Delta heard Fifteen yell, before his body was thrown into Fifteen, the two sent crashing into each other.

Eta chuckled, shaking his head. A barrage of plasma pellets hit Eta from behind. Shepherd cocked his shotgun, firing again. Eta growled, turning to the Maverick Hunter. However, before he could attack, a ray of energy slammed into Eta. Pure Energy.

However, Eta managed to hold his ground, and in a violent rage turned to Killian. "Power means nothing if you don't know how to use it, fool."

Killian scowled in return. "You're one to talk, amateur."

That was all Delta could remember. Everything happened in a blur.

He remembered seeing the rest of the 19th Power Unit fall.

He remembered Killian laying down in the floor in defeat.

He remembered Shepherd forced into the wall as if he were pushed by a giant hand.

He remembered Fifteen lying on her stomach in defeat as well.

He remembered Echo lying on his back, too weak to stand up.

He remembered Theta on the floor, his arm barely concealing tears.

Delta mentally snapped. He had enough of this bullshit.

He roared loudly, standing up. The Evil Energy strengthened Delta. Except…he was no longer Delta. He was now The Reaper.

Eta grinned. "Well. A worthy opponent at last. I thought the Evil Energy would've destroyed you…"

Delta, or The Reaper, realized his armor was no longer golden. It was the silver metal that The Reaper had. He felt like a completely different person. "I embraced it. My creator was one of the most intelligent geniuses in history. You should be appalled."

"I am. Too bad you'll be destroyed. It would've been an honor working with you…"

Eta dashed towards The Reaper at the speed of sound, grabbing him by the neck. The Reaper, however, expected this. He grabbed Eta's arm, crushing it in his grasp. Eta growled in pain, before receiving a headbutt, knocking him back.

The Reaper took out his saber, activating it. "Too cowardly to give me a fair fight, Eta?"

Eta gritted his teeth. "I'm more than capable of destroying you with a saber." He bent down, taking Fifteen's saber.

"Well, then. Let's begin, shall we?"

They dashed towards each other, and as the two swung their sabers, the weapons interlocked. The impact of the weapons created a small shockwave, and they wrestled for control. When The Reaper realized he was slowly being overpowered, he leaped backwards, putting on a defensive stance.

"Defense will get you nowhere. You cannot tire me. You can only waste my time, fool."

"I _will_ defeat you, even if it's the last thing I do."

"You can try, but it certainly will be the last thing you do, Delta."

"Let's see how good you really are…"

The Reaper dashed towards Eta, slicing at him. Eta effortlessly blocked the barrage of slashes and attacks. The futile effort made him smirk. He let his guard down, however.

Eta made a mistake. It was all according to the Reaper's plan. He intended to make obviously placed attacks for Eta to guard, before quickly following up with another attack.

Immediately after blocking a slash to the arm, Eta was elbowed in the face by his opponent, sending him stumbling back. Before he could recover, The Reaper ruthlessly dashed towards the Maverick.

By using a power he gained from the Evil Energy consumption, "Delta" made his body intangible, but his sword was still normal. As he was dashing, his body phased through Eta's, while at the same time, his saber made a clean stab through his enemy's body.

Eta grunted, clutching his wound. In a blind fury, he turned to The Reaper, before sparking an idea. He let go of his wound, roaring loudly.

"Long have you played hero, but now, your life ends! DIE!"

He dashed towards The Reaper, raising his saber. The Reaper easily blocked the oncoming slash, but he didn't expect Eta to grab his face. In a flash, the silver armor of the Reaper was replaced by the gold plating of Delta's armor.

In a flash, he knew what Eta was doing. He was taking back the Evil Energy.

Eta kicked the powerless Delta away, before menacingly walking towards him. Delta could barely crawl, let alone get up. The withdraw of the Evil Energy weakened him severely, and it would take some time to getting used to. His body hadn't adjusted yet.

"What…what have you done to me?"

"How pitiful indeed, Delta. You were nothing to me as The Reaper. You are still nothing in my eyes. And nothing will change that. Nothing…"

Delta couldn't move. He was incapable of even making tears. He had failed the world. He had failed his friends. He had failed Fifteen. He prepared to accept his death.

"NO!" Was that…Echo's voice?

Echo stood up with his remaining strength, and ran towards Eta, activating his wrist blades. He mustered up his stamina and remembered his Maverick Hunter training. The bait technique. Simple, but deceiving.

He attacked Eta with a horizontal slash, which was easily blocked. When the Maverick tried to counterattack, Echo jumped in the air, landing behind his enemy, and quickly stabbing him in the back.

Eta felt true pain. It was more painful than a stab from The Reaper. More pain came. He felt his feet leave the ground. He was shocked when he realized what was happening.

Echo was attempting to lift him up with his wrist blades. The Maverick Hunter did so, before quickly turning around and slamming him into the ground. He attempted to stab Eta in the face, but the tyrant clenched his fists, yelled, and a minor shockwave knocked Echo back.

_It was…worth a try. _It was there that Echo realized that none of the Maverick Hunters were unconscious. They were just defeated. They saw Echo get up to defend Delta, and this inspired them to get up as well, sticking up for their friend.

Eta gritted his teeth. "FOOLS! I let you live for a reason! I let you live so that you can serve me! If you want to die that badly, you can all live together in the afterlife!"

The Maverick Hunters stood up, going on the full offensive for Eta. Most of them, at least. Fifteen performed the Hienkyaku technique and in no time, she was kneeling beside Delta, holding his arm.

"Come on, Delta. Please. Please, get up." She said in a desperate tone. "We need you."

Delta was close to blacking out now. At the corner of his eye, he saw Kayla stumble up, but that was the least of his concerns. He had to get up. He felt his arms trying to get up, and Fifteen helped him up.

To their shock, when they turned around, the Maverick Hunters were already defeated. Eta laughed. "Your effort is admirable, but obviously in vain."

"I'd rather die than serve you." Fifteen said sourly. She ran towards Eta, who merely backhanded her, knocking her down with a bloody nose.

Delta grimaced painfully as he took out his saber again. This was his last stand. He dashed towards Eta, and with all of his strength, firmly striked.

As their sabers interlocked, they once again wrestled for control and dominance. Eta knew that it was hopeless for Delta, and he grinned as he pushed forward.

But Delta never intended to overpower Eta. He wanted to hold him back long enough for his strategy. It wasn't the most complex idea, but it was effective. While their sabers were interlocked, he slowly slid his saber down to Eta's hands, and cut them off.

Eta screamed as his hands flew off of his body, and fell to his knees. "ARGH! You…you hurt me! That's…that's not possible!"

"Well, it's clearly not impossible if it already happened…dumbshit."

The Maverick Hunters stood up for their last stand, surrounding the nearly powerless Eta, who tried to stand up. As he turned around, he saw his brother Theta, with a device in his hand. Some sort of detonator.

He held it up. "You see this, Eta? I press this button and this fortress is blown to hell. It's not too late. You can still repent. You can still redeem yourself, brother."

"No. I'm not the one who needs redemption. You are all far beyond redemption. My…my world was the perfect place. A utopia for reploids. I would rule with an…iron fist."

Killian scoffed. "Tyranny isn't always the way to go, Eta."

"If I'll die, I'M GOING TO HELL WITH YOU!" Eta yelled, leaping towards his brother. As he landed on top of Theta, he pressed the button on the detonator, every single bomb that Echo planted all exploding at once.

Tau gasped, looking around for a door. She saw Kayla in alarm, but dazed and confused, as if she didn't fully knew what was going on. Explosions were everywhere. They were appearing in the walls and from the ground. They had to get out of here.

Shepherd looked around, gritting his teeth. "The whole damn place is going down. We gotta move!"

Theta kicked his brother off, before quickly standing up, and running towards the door. Echo did the same, grabbing Kayla. She was too weak to even run, so he held her in his arms.

Killian practically turned into a beacon of Pure Energy and flew towards the door. Fifteen activated her communications link and contacted Zero.

"Commander, are you there?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on it." Zero replied on the other end.

At first, Fifteen didn't quite understand what he meant, but when she realized the door they went through led to a dead end, another explosion came, and in the hole that was created from the explosion, was the shuttle jet.

The shuttle turned to the side, and the hatch opened up.

"Hurry up!" Zero hissed in Fifteen's communication link.

Meanwhile, Eta stood up, and pointed at the Maverick Hunters' direction. "Stop them!" Security guards suddenly came out of nowhere, and ran towards them, firing at the Maverick Hunters.

The explosions were happening rapidly now. Zero provided cover fire for the Maverick Hunters with the machine guns on the shuttle. One by one, the Maverick Hunters managed to get onboard the ship. Kronos, then Silver Rex, then Icy Gorilla, then Commander Tau.

They were shortly followed by Theta, Killian, and Shepherd. Echo managed to barely jump to the shuttle with Kayla in his arms. Then there was only Fifteen and Delta left. They ran faster than they ever had in their life.

After all, they preferred life over death.

The fortress was beginning to crumble now. The end of the room crumpled before their eyes, making it harder to jump for it. Delta, who was behind Fifteen, turned around, and took out his Buster Shot.

"Go! I'll cover you!"

"But what about you?" Fifteen asked in response.

"Forget about me! Go!"

"I-I can't!"

"You have to, dammit!" Delta yelled harshly, shooting several Mavericks in the head.

"I'm not leaving without you, Delta." The white-clad female said firmly.

"There isn't any fucking time to argue! GO!" Delta screamed, trying to make his voice audible over the countless debris flying everywhere.

Reluctantly, Fifteen made a jump for it. She was barely able to land on the shuttle. As Killian helped her up, she stuck out her arm, reaching for Delta.

"Delta, grab my hand!"

He turned around, with a sad expression that would forever haunt Fifteen. "I'm sorry…"

"No! NO!" The blonde yelled, tears flowing down her cheeks.

The fortress came tumbling down like the walls of Jericho. With Delta, Eta, and everything else inside of it. Fifteen sobbed, and the doors of the shuttle closed. Killian helped her into a chair and hugged her tightly.

He couldn't say anything. Despite his intelligence, he wasn't exactly the most charismatic person. He didn't know what to say that would comfort Fifteen.

As they flew off into the sunset, Shepherd crossed his arms, his Buster Shotgun at his side. _The Reaper is gone. Along with Delta. Same goes for Maximilian and Eta. Maybe I can finally get some closure. _The reploid thought to himself.

* * *

><p>Oh, my. Have I got a lot to talk about. So, yes. If you missed it again, I'm making a series of character-specific epilogues dealing with the aftermath of the ordeal. I'll start with Theta, then continue on with Killian, then Shepherd, then Echo, then an alternate ending and Echo's reaction to it, and then Fifteen.<p> 


	29. Death in the Family

Redemption  
>Theta's Epilogue—Death in the Family<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters being to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

* * *

><p><strong>Several Years Ago<strong>

"Where the hell do you think you're going, Eta?"

"I'm going to travel. I'm leaving, Theta. I've told you, the urge for power is calling me. It needs me. And you know I'm not one to refuse power…" Eta said darkly, stepping in front of the door.

"So this is what it's about? Power? If you want power, just go to college and be a scientist or a freaking doctor. They're filthy rich!"

"That's not what I mean, Theta. Strength is what binds this world together."

"Again, college, then run for governor or something! You don't need to fucking leave for this! What am I going to tell Lauren? She idolizes you!"

"Tell her the truth. That I just left. There's something in this world, Theta. Something that's calling me. This…energy. It's so ever soothing. It makes all my worries go away. And I need more…"

"You're leaving me, Zeta, and Beta, just because something's "calling" you? What the fuck has gotten into you?" Theta was now on the verge of tears.

"It's not like Zeta needs me. He's intelligent. He'll make a good scientist or something. He'll be the successful one. Beta's also smart, with some good in her heart to balance it out. You're in between, Theta. Me? I was always the headstrong one. I need to be stronger. Goodbye, Theta."

There was nothing Theta could do to stop his brother, and he knew it. "…Just…go." Then he walked away, as did Eta. The latter didn't look back. He didn't need to. He already knew the expression on his brother's face. And he felt no remorse.

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day, Maverick Hunter HQ<strong>

Theta was on his computer in his room. The last few days had been very stressful. Delta was dead. Eta was dead. What kind of person would he be if he just kept Eta's death a secret? He didn't want to know, but Commander Zero and Commander Tau both agreed that the incident be kept a secret. This incident, though only a few will remember it, would go on to be called the Reaper Incident.

On his computer, Theta was chatting with his brother, Zeta, who had come home from work. Beta didn't have work on Sundays. He asked his two siblings to meet up with him on Projection, which was basically the 21XX equivalent of Skype.

Theta didn't know what to say, but he tried to make the words. He took a deep breath, leaning on the desk. "Hey, Zeta. Beta."

Zeta raised an eyebrow. "I can already tell by your expression that something bad happened. What is it?" He asked in a serious but gentle tone.

"Well, I…I managed to catch up with Eta…"

Beta's expression lightened up. "Really? How is he?"

Zeta glanced at his sister, before turning his attention back to Theta. "Shush, Beta."

Theta sighed. He felt himself already sweating. "Well…actually…I…he's dead, guys."

It was painful for Theta to see his siblings' eyes widen in shock and disbelief. Their hopes and dreams of their oldest brother coming home were now utterly crushed, and he knew it, because he was part of the cause of this.

Zeta put on a concerned tone. "How did this happen, Theta?"

Theta gulped. He wasn't technically supposed to be doing this. The Reaper Incident was supposed to be a complete secret. But it was alright as long as he didn't mention the Evil Energy, right? He thought it over before he decided to talk to his siblings. He knew what to say. The only problem now was having the nerve to actually say the damn thing.

"Well…" It already started. There was no backing out now. It was still better than the truth. "I…I was patrolling with my teammates, and then I just…bumped into him. Just like that. Unfortunately, he told me things I wanted to hear, which got me worried. He…told me it was a mistake that he left, but it was too late now. The thing was, he was infected with the Maverick Virus. He said he'd rather die than hurt someone. He asked me to kill him."

Beta looked at him, eyes as wide as possible. "And…and you did it?"

Theta looked up, pretending to be shocked at what his sister said. "No! No…I…my friend did it. He saw the hesitance in my eyes, and asked me if he should do it. I nodded."

Zeta was still in his concerned expression. "And…that was it?"

Theta nodded sadly. "That was it. Tell Lauren I'm sorry…" He felt like a horrible person. He had sunk this low, and he couldn't believe it, but what choice did he have? He knew that he'd never forgive himself if he kept it a secret though…

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

Theta sipped some coffee, before heading to the training room. He decided to take his anger out on the combat drones. But it wasn't good enough. There never was any anger, and Theta thought that some ordinary training would make it go away, but deep down, he knew that nothing could ever make it go away.

He decided to go out on a daily patrol, looking for any Mavericks to be demolished. There weren't any. It was a normal, peaceful day. He had lost two of his friends. Delta and Eta. Part of him just wanted to give up on life and end everything, but the other half knew that he'd actually be hurting his friends more than himself.

Admittedly, he didn't know Delta that well, but his personality showed him that they could've potentially been great friends. But potential isn't always fulfilled.

It was chilly. Theta realized it would be December soon. It would start to snow, and people would ponder on what they want for Christmas. Theta wanted nothing more than Delta and Eta to be alive again, but he knew that it was something that could never be…or could it?

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, possibly my shortest chapter yet, but I don't really necessarily consider the epilogues to be chapters. They're just…y'know, epilogues. And le gasp! What could I mean when I said "…or could it?"? Stay tuned!<strong>


	30. The Final Frontier

Redemption  
>Killian's Epilogue—The Final Frontier<br>**DISCLAIMER: My characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to Capcom.**

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><p>It was his job to protect the universe from Evil Energy. It was his duty. His purpose. He was created solely to purge the universe of Evil Energy. So why couldn't he leave this accursed place? This planet? Terra was an interesting place. In the years he had been working as a Maverick Hunter, he had grown attached to himself. He tried to tell himself this was a bad thing and that he should drop it and leave, but he couldn't.<p>

Why? He was just…drawn to this planet. He was attached to it. It was like he became a part of it. He couldn't bring himself to leave. Especially at a time like this. Especially with Fifteen like this. And Theta. He knew he wanted to stay, so he decided he would stay for now.

He decided that if he was going to stay here, he should make himself useful. He occasionally helped Douglas with the tools, and even managed to complete the jet thrusters. They were now completely reliable and not buggy or glitchy whatsoever.

One day, he was in his room, tinkering with a communications bracelet he constructed to stay in contact with…well, the others. He decided to get some exercise, and he bumped into Fifteen on the way. Her eyes were red and terribly bloodshot, as if she hadn't slept for days.

"Hey, Fifteen. Jesus, you look terrible…" He said, a concerned look on his face.

"Oh…hey, Killian. No, I can't sleep. Not after…you know." A pained expression crept up on her face and she began to tear up. Killian blinked. It wasn't like his second-in-command to break down like this. She was stronger than this, and yet, here she was, crying.

She turned around, wiping her eyes, before chuckling. But it wasn't a chuckle out of amusement. "How embarrassing…"

Killian scratched his head…well, his helmet, technically. He realized he hadn't shaved in a while, but that was far beyond the point. "We're all Reploids, chief. We all have feelings just like humans do, no matter how much you try to bury your emotions…"

"Oh, shut up, Killian." The alien thought she was being harsh, but when Fifteen turned around, he realized she was smiling. "You always knew how to make me look bad."

Killian's eyes widened, surprised. "Wha—I didn't mean—"

Fifteen cut him off. "It's alright. I was just joking. But really, I…I don't know what to do. Delta's gone. And besides, you're probably leaving, aren't you? Since Eta is dead, there's no point of staying here. Is that right, Killian?"

Killian took a deep breath. This was the last question he wanted to answer. Still, he decided not to stall. "Well…it's complicated. You're right; I have no more purpose here. I should just leave and police the universe or something. But…I don't want to leave. I want so stay here…"

"Why?"

"Well…I don't know. I guess…I guess you could say that the substantial amount of Mavericks make me feel inclined to stay here and help out."

"That's nice. Then what's that on your arm?"

Killian blinked. He was unaware that he still had the bracelet on his arm. He scratched the back of his head. "Well…see…I was debating with myself on whether I should actually go or not. If not, I might as well still make good use of this. Y'know, using this while on missions."

Fifteen couldn't help but chuckle at Killian chuckling, despite her depression. "I think it's funny when you stutter. Now, stop slacking off, you alien." Then she walked past him.

Killian raised an eyebrow, and walked back into his room. He had totally forgotten why he came outside anyway. As the door slid closed, he took the bracelet and took it off, tossing it on the nearby table. He walked over to the window, and stared outside.

The sky was orange. It was late afternoon, of course. There weren't much people outside. He sighed. All he ever wanted was to help people, but he never considered how to cheer people up. The Reaper Incident left Theta and Fifteen depressed and broken for God knows how long.

Killian glanced back at the bracelet on his table, and deep thought, and pondered. _Do I really belong here?_

No. He belonged in the final frontier. Space. But he was on Earth. Here, on this human planet. He had to be down to Earth. Terra firma.

He thought the best should've happened, but deep down in his heart, he knew nothing ever goes right. He expects the unexpected, therefore making it the expected, so in turn, he could expect the other unexpected…

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><p><strong>AN: Yeah…I dunno. Will I really finish this by the end of the year? I'm really slacking off. Oh, well. This is Killian's epilogue. We'll move on…whenever.**


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